Unlikely Angel
by stinkyhead
Summary: After being rescued by the most unlikely of angels, Uzumaki Naruto finds what he has longed for in one Mitarashi Anko. With the love of a family to guide him, can Naruto fulfill his dream of becoming Hokage?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N:

I had posted this story once before but took it down for one reason or another. I decided to repost it after posting my story Butterfly for the first time simply because this is still one of my favorites, and one that I've really enjoyed writting.

Now then, for those of you who are expecting some wonderfully edited work, you may wish to turn back now. I am not perfect and I work without a Beta so I'm sure that I WILL make mistakes in grammar and spelling. I honestly don't mind someone pointing out a mistake I make multiple times, as it will only help me improve my writing, but I do not wish to receive a page long review listing every single one of them. If you feel the need to list them all, do so in a PM and I'll try and fix them. Also, while I'd rather they didn't, I know that some people simply won't be able to keep themselves from flaming my story. As a rule of mine, I will probably make fun of review itself or the author of said review in my next post(or completely ignore it). I feel that if you can freely critic me and my work, I should be able to do the same to you and yours.... I can be rather petty at times and I've been told by family and friends that I am far too stubborn for my own good.

Oh, and before I forget. I make it a point to try and answer each and every question asked in a review, if I'm able and if it does not reveal anything that may happen later in the story. I also pretty much ignore reviews that say 'Update Soon!' or something along those lines. While all reviews are appreciated, I prefer those that actually show me that you were paying attention. I am also not the type of person who will hold off on posting until I receive a certain amount of reviews. I post when I feel a chapter is ready, it may take awhile but it has nothing to do with how many reviews I've received.

The pairing is Naruto/Tenten. If that bothers you for some strange reason, again you may wish to turn back now as romance is a major focus of this story, along with humor.

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Chapter 1.

At sixteen years old Mitarashi Anko was one of only two village pariahs in Konohagakure no Sato, or 'Village Hidden Among Leaves'. As she walked down a semi-deserted street she heard yet another villager call her a whore before leaving with a sneer on their face. This wasn't anything new to her. Everyday she was called a whore, a monster, or a traitor because her ex-master, Orochimaru, had chosen to flee the village and become a missing nin. Most days she wished he had taken her with him, while on others she simply loved scaring the villagers and playing up to their thoughts of her. She wore a surprisingly soft black, custom made, metal-mesh body glove, which left nothing to the imagination, a tan mini-skirt, which bordered on indecent, and a tan trench coat, which reached her feet and barely covered her large breasts. She wore no bra and didn't even bother to shut her coat as as she walked down one of the many streets of Konoha. Her purple hair was flipped up in the back and held with a medal band. She also wore her hitai-ate, which showed that she was a shinobi of Konohagakure, proudly across her forehead. Aside from this she only wore a pair of silver metal shin guards and a pair of black combat boots. All in all her appearance led people to believe she really was a whore even when she had done nothing to earn the title.

As yet another person glared at her before walking away, she couldn't help but let her mask fall for a split second. Ever since Orochimaru had been discovered doing inhuman experiments on other people he had fled and left young Anko to face the village by herself, and even though she was loyal to Konohagakure, everyone hated her and simply waited for 'that traitor's whore' to flee the village like her master had done. So to make it through the day she was forced to wear a fake smile as she walked through the village. The only real smile she ever offered was when she scared the villagers badly enough or the sadistic smirk she often wore during the times she was called in to work on a 'friend' of the villages.

Unlike the second pariah, Anko was a full trained shinobi and held the title of Tokubetsu Jounin(Special Jounin) for her skills in torture, interrogation, and poison use, so most of the villagers were to scared to ever try to attack her. The VERY few times they had tried she had killed; many of them were killed because Mitarashi Anko is a sadist and enjoys inflicting pain on others and messing with their minds while still others were killed for something they said or done during the fight. Most of the shinobi believe that this is her way of getting back at the villagers for treating her the way they do, while still others simply believe she is crazy as hell. Anko herself is inclined to believe that both sides are right. Let it not be said that those skills were the only thing keeping the villagers at bay. Everyone knew that she was also a combat specialist who was very well versed in different types of snake jutsus.

Sadly, unlike Anko the second pariah was little more then a small four year old boy who had no means of defending himself. As Anko walked towards the center of the village, Uzumaki Naruto ran for his life as yet another mob of shinobi and villagers chased him down. Naruto was very small for his age from living on the streets his entire life and only eating what others would threw away. His once bright blond hair was matted with mud and dried blood from a previous beating that he had yet to wash out, and his bright blue eyes that should have shone with a child like glee only showed just how lonely he really was. His small bloodied feet left small patches of blood on the ground as he ran because he had never owned a pair of shoes in his life. He wore a very large shirt that was so mangled and torn that it gave Anko a run for her money on how much skin it showed. He also wore a pair of ripped shorts that were tired around his tiny wast with a long piece of rope. His only possession in the world was clutched in his right hand as he tried to out run the angry mob. This possession meant the world to Naruto. It was a badly ripped teddy bear he had found in someones trash. This bear was his only friend and companion, it never beat him or called him names and for that Naruto loved it. Most parents wouldn't let there children within twenty feet of the thing as it smelled worse then anyone could possibly believe and held all sorts of bugs and mold, yet still Naruto held onto it with ever thing he had.

As he tiny legs began to tire, Naruto felt a sharp pain as a villager reached out, grabbed hold of his hair, and snapped his head back with a hard yank. "I've got you now you little shit!" shouted the villager before he smashed his fist into Naruto's tiny face.

Naruto let out a whimper as the man throw him by his hair into the group of villagers and shinobi while his mouth and nose and mouth began to bleed from the punch. "Please don't." he begged as the blood filled his mouth to the point where it was forced to run his chin. Before long it was near impossible for anyone to see anything but red surrounding the lips and chin of the boy as the bleeding from his nose and mouth finally slowed.

"Shut up demon!" shouted one of the few shinobi in the group before he kicked Naruto in chest and stomach as hard as he could. This causing Naruto's stomach to heave and his merger lunch to spill across the ground before he curling into a tiny ball so that he could at least protect his stomach from any future beatings. Without any other warning the group began kicking and punching his small, whimpering form while the ones that couldn't get to him themselves seemed content to cheer on those that could.

As Anko walked up to the mass of villagers and shinobi, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on, and when she kicked something that had been left in the road she began to feel sick. At her feet lay a small ratty teddy bear that had its left arm ripped off. She, like everyone else, knew very well whose this was and now knew who was in the center of this group and when a small cry reached her ears Anko's blood ran cold before it began to boil. With very little effort, Anko leaped into air and into the center of the group. Tears welled up in her eyes as the small boy latched onto her leg and pulled himself under her coat as he quietly cried for them to stop. "Leave now before I kill every one of you!" she hissed.

Everyone took a step back when they saw just how angry she was; they all knew that no one lived for very long if they pushed Mitarashi Anko to far, and by the look in her eyes she was very far over the edge.

"Look, the traitor's whore is protecting the demon!" sneered a young, and very stupid, Chuunin ranked shinobi.

Anko gave a twisted smile that would cause even a battle hardened ANBU to shudder. "You are going to die!" she said in a creepy sing-song voice before flying through a few hand seals and shouting. "Sen'eijashu!"(Hidden Shadow Snake Hand)

As two large, black snakes shoot out of her sleeves and sank their fangs into the mans neck and shoulder, all anyone heard was a slight whimper and the beginnings of a sentence before the man fell over dead and the snakes disappeared.

"Anyone else want to die?" she asked happily as she pulled out a pair of kunai. Everyone watched as her eyes flashed with excitement and her tongue ran over her lips before they all lost heart and fled.

Once everyone was gone, Anko looked down between her legs as Naruto held onto her legs and trembled badly. She then saw that even after the beating he had taken, he was holding onto the left arm of the teddy bear. Anko quickly spun on her feet and sat down on the ground before pulling the boy into her lap. When she felt him stiffen and tremble even more she cooed in such a soft voice that anyone who knew her would have fallen over dead from the shock of hearing it. "There now. I'm not going to hurt you."

The small boy simply curled up in her lap and shook like a frightened animal before whispering. "P-Promise?"

Anko smiled and ran her hand over his greasy, dirty, blood filled hair and said. "I promise. Look, I even saved your bear!"

Naruto looked up and saw her holding his bear and cried. "Kuma-chan!" Before grabbing it and hugging the nasty thing tightly to his chest.

"You named your bear 'bear'?" asked Anko lovingly as she rubbed his back gently while inside she was amazed that all of his cuts and bruises were already healing. She figured that it had to do with the reason everyone hated him.

Uzumaki Naruto was the vessel for the greatest of the tailed beasts, and the one responsible for nearly destroying Konohagakure and killing most of their shinobi population. Anko knew that Naruto wasn't the demon that most everyone else thought he was and for that they try to kill him and mistreated him. The saddest part was that Naruto had no clue why they treated him the way they did, because after the Yondaime Hokage had sealed the demon inside of him at the cost of his own life, the Sandaime Hokage had been forced to make a law forbidding anyone of speaking of it to the younger generations. Sadly, this included Naruto.

The only reason Anko knew about it, all the facts that is, was because of her job. As a torture and interrogation specialist she learned many things from many people that she wasn't supposed to. She had been alive when the Kyuubi attacked and would have helped fight it if it hadn't been for the fact that she was still a week away from graduating from the academy. She, like everyone else, thought that Naruto was the demon reborn until the Sandaime Hokage sat her down with her first subject, who happened to be the first person to ever attack the poor boy. After that she had known that if Naruto was the demon he would have finished what he started long ago and would have never let the villagers treat him the way they did. Sadly, Naruto was Naruto and how could a four year old defend himself against shinobi and villagers that were much older and stronger?

"W-Who are y-you?" asked Naruto softly as he looked up at Anko with bright blue eyes.

"My name is Mitarashi Anko, and you are Uzumaki Naruto." she cooed gently. She paid no mind to the villagers and shinobi that were glaring at her as she sat in the center of the street. She then slowly began to wipe away some of the blood covering his mouth.

"W-Why a-are y-you being n-nice to me?" he asked fearfully.

"Because you have done nothing wrong." she said calmly before adding. "And because I am like you."

"H-How?"

"I am hated by most of the village for no reason, just like you. I have to deal with their name calling and glares, just like you." she answered.

"Why do they hate you? You're really pretty and nice!" he said, this time without a stutter and in a much more cheerful tone. This amazed her to no end. How could anyone seem so happy after such an attack? How could anyone seem so happy after living the life he had been forced to led?

"I used to be a student of an evil man. He betrayed the village and became a missing nin and everyone thinks I am the same." she said sadly.

"What's a missing nin?" asked Naruto.

"It's a shinobi who leaves their village without permission." she answered with a smile.

"What's a shinobi?" asked the boy.

Anko couldn't help but laugh as he asked question after question. "Being a shinobi is very complicated, Naru-chan. By definition a shinobi is an assassin or spy whom is highly trained for stealth and combat." she said calmly.

"You mean you kill people?" asked Naruto nervously. He found it hard to believe that the one person who had been so nice to him killed people. Ironically ignoring the dead body not far from them.

"That is where is gets complicated. Yes I kill people." she admitted. "But mostly I do it to protect those I love and this village. I'll admit that I have killed someone for the simple fact of I wanted them dead. There are shinobi out their that will kill anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. They simply love killing people. While others will only kill when they have to or when their village is threatened. Do you understand?"

"I think so." he said softly. "So your not a bad person, you're just getting rid of the bad people?"

"Close enough." Anko said with a light laugh.

"Um... Anko-nee-chan(older/big sister)?" asked Naruto nervously.

"Yes, Naru-chan?" she replied.

"A-Are you going t-to leave me?" he asked quietly.

Anko had to strain her ears to hear him but none the less she did hear him. "No, Naru-chan, I'm not going to leave you. Why don't you come back to my place with me?" she offered. She couldn't help but smile as Naruto's eyes light up brightly and he nodded his head quickly. Anko lifted him up so that she could stand before taking him by the hand and leading him away from the village.

Naruto became confused and worried when they came to a huge fenced in forest that had a large warning sign on it. "I don't think we're supposed to go in there." he whispered softly as he moved inside Anko's coat and hugged her leg. He might not have known how to read but even he understood the skull and cross bones very well.

"But I live in there. This place is called 'The Forest of Death'. Now, don't be scared." she said as Naruto began to tremble slightly at the name. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you, my little Naru-chan. We will be at my place before you can say 'ramen'!"

"What's rame..." started Naruto before he and Anko disappeared in a puff of smoke only to reappear in the middle of the forest in front of a large tower. "Wow!" he cried excitedly as he looked around them and saw that they weren't where they were. "How did you do that?!" he asked.

"That was a ninjutsu called 'Shunshin no Jutsu'(Body Flicker Technique). You learn it once you earn the rank of Chuunin but if you're good then I'll teach it to you sooner." she offered as she lead a now bouncing Naruto into the tower and up to her floor.

Anko was the only one who actually lived, or wanted to live, there so the Sandaime Hokage had given her her own floor towards the top of the tower to turn into an apartment after her parents died. This, along with the training rooms and forest, meant that Anko had a very isolated place to live and train while not having to suffer because of the isolation.

"Does anyone else live here?" Naruto asked as he walked up yet another flight of stairs.

"No. Most think I'm crazy for living here.... Well, ok, I may be a little crazy but normal is so boring!" she stated while Naruto simply giggled at her.

"Anko-nee-chan, can I be a shinobi?" he asked.

"Of course you can. In fact, I'm going to train you myself." she answered.

"Really?!"

"Yes, really. I'll turn you into a Hokage!"

"What's a 'Hokage'?" asked Naruto.

"A 'Hokage' is the strongest shinobi in the village. They control all of the other shinobi and send us out on mission and such. The Sandaime Hokage is a very nice man. I'll take you to meet him soon." she explained.

"Oh.... well I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!" he vowed as he pumped his tiny fist and bear into the air.

"Big words coming from someone with a teddy bear." teased Anko.

"Shut up Anko-nee-chan. Kuma-chan will help me become Hokage and then she will be my most trusted adviser!" he stated firmly.

Anko was a little shocked at the fact that he knew what an 'adviser' even was but the fact that he was planning on making his teddy bear his 'most trusted adviser' caused her to laughed loudly. As she laughed she couldn't help but wonder when the last time she had laughed like this was.

"Anko-nee-chan, why didn't you just do that flicker thing to your room instead of making me walk up these stairs?" asked Naruto weakly as his pace up the stairs was beginning to slow.

"Poor little Naru-chan." she teased before lifting him up onto her shoulders. "That better?"

"Yep!" he said happily as laid his head down on top of hers.

"And to answer your question. I have traps set up in my apartment and if I tried to, 'do the flicker thing' as you called it, I would set them off. People can leave doing it but not enter." she explained softly before she felt Naruto's head nod against hers. She didn't say anything but she was having a hard time not gaging at the poor boys smell. She knew he hadn't been given a chance to bathe in a long time, if ever, unless one counted being thrown into a puddle as a bath.

Finally, she had made it to her floor and as she opened the door and stepped in, Naruto's head shoot up and looked around. Contrary to popular belief, Anko's home was pretty normal. There were no implements of torture laying around, and blood wasn't sprayed all over the walls. There was a couch a pair of over stuffed chairs and a few tables. The kitchen was a normal everyday kitchen with a stove, sink, refrigerator, and cabinets. There was also the few odds and ends that Anko had placed around the rooms, a few pictures of some of her friends, and a few bookshelves filled with different scrolls and thick leather bound books on many different topics.

As Naruto was lowered to the floor his callused feet made contact with the soft tan carpet that covered Anko's floor. This feeling was amazing to him as he was used to walking over rocks and glass in his bare feet.

Anko noticed the dreamy smile on his face as he wiggled his toes in her carpet and couldn't help but give a dark, humorless laugh. _The poor thing probably thinks that carpet is Kami's gift to man. _She thought as the boy squatted down and ran his fingers over the soft material. "Naru-chan, how would you like a bath?" she offered.

"Do I smell?" he asked softly as he hung his head and looked at the carpet.

"Yes you do but it's not your fault. Why don't you come with me and we'll get you cleaned up?" she said gently as she reached her had out for him to take.

Naruto simply nodded his head and took her hand before he was lead down a small hallway and into one of the four doorways which turned out to be a bathroom. As he looked around he saw a very large bathtub in one corner of the room and a small shower in another. There was also a sink with a very large counter top and a huge mirror on the wall and a toilet. Like the other rooms, this one was also filled with some of Anko's personal items as well as a lot of candles.

As she started to run the water in the bathtub, Anko turned to Naruto and found him looking around the room with the same wonder written across his face that he had in the other rooms. "Now, do you think you can wash yourself?" she asked calmly while inside she was hoping he could. She was only sixteen years old and it seemed like she had just became a kaa-san(mother), and when Naruto shifted uncomfortably she sighed and said. "Come here."

Naruto walked up to her and soon found himself standing naked in front of his new 'nee-chan'. She then lifted him up and placed him into the warm water. Naruto sighed happily as the warm water began to wash away the caked on dirt and blood from his body.

As she began to scrub the boy she couldn't help but say. "I swear you have more dirt on you then any Iwa nin I've ever met."

"What's a 'Iwa nin'?" asked the boy before he was dipped under the water.

"'Iwa' is a shortened name for 'Iwagakure no Sato' or 'Village Hidden Among Rocks'. An 'Iwa nin' is simply a shinobi from Iwagakure." she explained absently as she continued to scrub away the filth from the small child.

"Where's that?" asked the inquisitive blond.

"It's in Earth Country. Iwagakure is one of the five great shinobi villages. They specialize in earth-based jutsus. In the past we have had many wars with them and in one of those wars is when the Yondaime Hokage gained the name 'The Yellow Flash of Konoha'." she stated proudly as she began to wash his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time. She was amazed, and disgusted, by the amount of dirt and blood the boys hair held, and each time she washed it, it seemed to get longer and longer. Most of the hair was still matted down and it was already down to his neck.

"Anko-nee-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Can I stay with you?" asked the boy pleadingly.

"We'll see, Naru-chan." she said softly.

It took two hours and ten different baths before Naruto was finally clean, but now that he was he felt better then he ever had in his short life and it showed as he smiled brightly at his 'nee-chan' as she dried him with a large fluffy towel before exiting the room for a moment. She returned shortly after with one of her old shirts, which seemed to be very old since it looked no different then any other shirt a villager would wear and didn't show any unnecessary skin. As she slipped the white button up shirt over his head she pulled his tiny arms through the sleeves and watched in amusement as it fell down to his ankles.

"Come with me." she said as she took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom.

This room, like the others, would have shocked anyone. It was painted in a light blue color, as apposed to the white paint of the rest of the apartment, and contained a large bed, a dresser, and a large closet where Naruto noticed there were many metal-mesh body gloves hanging up.

"Come on Naru-chan." Anko said softly as she gently tugged his arm before leading him over to the bed.

Anko slid into her bed and sat up against the head board as she lifted Naruto up into the bed and sat him down in between her legs, facing out. Reaching to her bedside table, Anko grabbed a brush and began brushing his hair which now fell to the middle of his back and was as bright a yellow as any flower she had ever seen. It took a long time before she was able to brush out all the knots and tangles but when she was done she started to feel envious of the small boys hair.

"Done." she said happily as she slid down in her bed and pulled Naruto into her arms.

"Thank you, nee-chan." Naruto said softly as he fell asleep.

"Your welcome, Naru-chan." she said to the sleeping boy before closing her eyes and falling asleep herself while holding Naruto tightly to her chest.

As the sunlight pored into her room, Anko was woken by the sound of Naruto's soft snores from underneath her coat. Normally she would have taken it off but last night she had been tired and fell asleep in it. She gave a light chuckle as the demon vessel snuggled in even closer to her and resumed snoring. _What am I going to do? _She asked herself as she laid in bed and thought about Naruto. She stayed like this for a few more hours until Naruto began to stir. She watched as Naruto crawled out from under her coat and arched his back and stretched. _Just like a little fox. _She thought with a smile as the boy yawned silently before smiling brightly at her.

"'Morning, Anko-nee-chan!" he said happily.

"Good morning, Naru-chan." Anko replied softly. "Why don't we get something to eat and after I'll take you to go see the Hokage?"

"Ok!" shouted the blond before he jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room.

Anko took the time to take a quick shower and change before she walked into the kitchen to find Naruto waiting for her. "Anko-nee-chan, where can I get a coat like yours?" he asked happily as Anko lifted him up to sit on the counter as she began making a quick breakfast for the two of them.

"Well, if you want we can go get some cloths before we go and see the Hokage." she offered.

"I-I don't have any money." he said quietly as he hang his head.

Anko walked over to him and place her hands on each side of him on the counter and said. "Naru-chan, you are four years old. No one in their right mind would expect you to have money. When we go out later I'll buy you some cloths. Ok?"

Naruto looked up at her and smile before wrapping his arms around her neck and hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my little Naru-chan." she replied and with that she turned back to the food and resumed cooking.

Naruto watched with wide eyes and a lot of drool as Anko finished the meal and set a plate of food in front of him, she had moved him to the kitchen table when the food was almost done. As Naruto lifted some eggs into his mouth he moaned and said. "This is really good!"

_I would think so after having to eat garbage_. Thought Anko as she watched in awe as Naruto ate every single bit of his food in the time it took her to finish her third bite. She then noticed that Naruto began to rub his stomach and figured that he wasn't used to eating that much and had given himself a stomachache. "Next time you shouldn't eat so fast." she said with a smirk.

"I don't want a next time." he replied pitifully while Anko couldn't help but laugh at the boy. "Anko-nee-chan, where is Kuma-chan?"

"Kuma-chan is in the laundry. She is very dirty and needs to be cleaned, and also I need to sow her arm back on." explained Anko. She had really wanted to throw the thing away but knew she couldn't do that to Naruto, so she planed on washing it as best she could and sowing it back together.

"Good. She needs to be clean if she is going to be my top adviser." stated Naruto firmly while Anko smiled fondly down at him.

"Since your old 'cloths' were nothing more then rags. You are going to wear that shirt until we can get you some new cloths." she said.

"Ok." said Naruto simply as he swung his little legs back and forth as he sat beside Anko waiting for her to finish her food.

Before long Naruto was in the arms of Anko as she ran across rooftops towards the store she wanted to take him. "You know, the people who run the store we are going to are good friends of mine and they have a musume(daughter) who's about your age." Anko commented calmly.

"Do you think she'll play with me?" asked Naruto excitedly as Anko continued to race across the roof tops of homes and businesses alike.

"Who wouldn't want to play with you?" Anko asked him as if it were obvious.

Naruto simply smiled and waited for them to arrive at the shop. He didn't have to wait long before they were standing in from of a two-story building with a sign that read 'Imaki's Weapons' hanging above the door. As they entered it was plain to see that this story was purely a shinobi store, seeing as all they sold were shinobi weapons of all kinds and shinobi clothing of all sizes.

"Kenshin, Emi! Get out here, I need your help with something!" Anko shouted once she saw that no one was watching the front.

"Anko, shut up!" came her reply while Naruto giggled at her and Anko simply shot him a smile.

"Hi!" came a bright voice from behind them.

Naruto jumped and spun around to find a young girl about his age standing there. The girl was wearing a pink traditional style Chinese shirt made of silk(a cheongsam). She had rich brown hair and equally dark eyes. Her hair was pulled into two separate buns and her eyes seemed to shine with happiness and contentment. She also seemed to be carrying a large assortment of weapons. Too large if you asked any normal citizen of Konohagakure, even some of the shinobi would agree as well since the small girl was barely five years old.

"Hello." said Naruto shyly as he moved into Anko's coat and hid behind her legs.

"Tenten, I want you to met Naruto. Naru-chan, this is Imaki Tenten. Her parents run this store." introduced Anko as she tried to coax Naruto from behind her. Just as she began making progress, a large man walked into the room.

"What do you need, Anko?" the man asked. He looked like a hulking male form of Tenten from what Naruto could see, which wasn't a lot because he had moved back behind her legs when the man entered the room.

"I need an outfit for Naru-chan here." she said softly as she gently pulled Naruto out from behind her. This seemed to work as long as she held his hand.

"Is that..." started the man.

"Yes Kenshin, this is Naruto. Naru-chan, this is Imaki Kenshin, Tenten's tou-san(father) and the best blacksmith in the whole village. His okusan(wife, when referring to someone else's) Emi used to babysit me and when my parents died she become a very good friend." said Anko.

Naruto looked at the tall muscular man and said. "Hello."

"Well Naruto, what kind of cloths are you wanting?" Kenshin asked.

Naruto smiled and pointed at Anko before saying. "I want to look like Anko-nee-chan!"

"You can't wear a skirt silly!" said Tenten with a giggle.

"I didn't mean that! I want pants but the rest like hers." he said with a faint blush.

"Why would anyone want to look like Anko?" asked a brown haired woman as she walked into the room and smiled at Anko and Naruto.

"Because Anko-nee-chan is the greatest shinobi ever! Plus she's really pretty." said Naruto loudly while Anko patted him on the head fondly. She was happy to see that he was opening up more to people.

The woman looked at Naruto for a few moments before looking back at Anko and asking. "How much did you pay him to say that?"

Anko growled and said. "Shut up, Emi."

"Well, lets get you dressed." said Emi as she and Anko took Naruto by the hand and began to shuffle through the stacks of cloths.

They soon found that when Naruto had said that he wanted to look like Anko, he meant it. Every article of clothing had to match hers exactly or he wouldn't touch it. Before long Naruto was wearing a pair of very baggy tan pants with more pockets on them then he knew what to do with, a pair of black combat boots, a black metal-mesh shirt, a pair of silver metal shin guards, and a long tan colored trench coat, which was easily his favorite part. The last thing they did was tie his hair back into a low ponytail. The only thing missing was for him to get a forehead protector but that would have to wait until he became a Genin. They also told him that he would have to cut his hair to look like Anko but he said, quit loudly, that he was fine with that if it made him look more like his 'nee-chan'.

"There. Now you look just like you 'nee-chan'." said Emi happily while Anko and Naruto smile brightly at that. Ever since they had met yesterday, both of them had smiled more in the short time they had known each other then they had in their life before they met. "Now, why don't you go find Tenten-chan and play while I talk to Anko?"

Naruto nodded before hugging Anko once more and running off to find the small girl.

"How did this happen?" asked Kenshin as he brought in a large bottle of saké and three small dishes.

At the thought of the memory, Anko quickly downed two dishes full of saké.

"That bad?" asked Emi softly.

"Worse. I found him in the middle of another mob getting kicked and punched. When I finally chased everyone away he was covered in blood, bruises, and cuts. If any good came from him being a vessel it's the fact that he heals VERY quickly. After I spoke with him for a bit, I took him back to my place and spent around two hours washing him. He had dirt and blood everywhere from Kami knows when. You should have seen his face when he first stepped foot on my carpet." said Anko with a sad, humorless laugh towards the end. "I swear he must have thought that it was the greatest thing ever. Then there is Kuma-chan."

"Kuma-chan?" asked Kenshin.

"His teddy bear." she replied.

"He named his teddy bear 'bear'?" asked Emi with a smile.

"That's what I asked, but Kuma-chan isn't just any bear. She is going to be his most trusted advisor when he becomes Hokage!" said Anko before the three of them burst into peals of laughter.

Meanwhile Tenten was outside teaching Naruto how to throw a kunai.

"Now pull it your arm back....good. Now throw it as hard as you can and try and hit the red dot." she advised as she pointed across the yard at a row of humanoid dummies.

Naruto looked at the practice dummy and saw the red dot right between his eyes. He simply stared at it for a few more moments before launching the kunai as hard as he could at the dummy, and as it hit home, Naruto and Tenten were shocked that it tore right through the bullseye and out the other side of the dummies 'head'.

"Wow!" whispered Tenten in awe.

"That was so cool!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

From there, Tenten and Naruto began to let loss a hail of kunai and shuriken upon the poor defenseless dummies. Naruto found that he could throw up to five kunai and have them all hit dead center while nine out of ten at least hit the target. He wasn't anywhere near as good with a shuriken but he didn't let that stop him from trying.

"You're a natural with projectile weapons. You HAVE to come over some more and play with me." Tenten pleaded as they walked back inside.

"I will if you really want me to." said Naruto shyly.

"You bet I do! None of my friends like weapons very much so it's nice to have one that does." she said happily. "Plus, when we get older me and you can spar all the time!"

"Ok." he replied softly as the two walked up to the three older people.

"Did you have fun?" asked Anko as she pulled Naruto into her lap.

"Yes, we practiced throwing shuriken and kunai." he answered with a smile.

"Is he any good?" Kenshin asked his daughter.

"He's amazing! His very first throw with a kunai hit the dummy right between the eyes and went all the way through its head!" she explained happily while Kenshin, Anko, and Emi looked at a now blushing Naruto in shock.

"Can you do it again?" asked Anko.

Naruto hopped down from her lap, took hold of her hand, and drug her to Tenten's backyard where the training dummies were set up. As Naruto walked off the distance he wanted, the other four stood back and watched him. Finally, Naruto reached a distance he was comfortable with and pulled out a kunai that Tenten had given him before turning and facing the dummy. Naruto stared the dummy between the eyes just like he had done the first time before throwing the kunai as hard as he could.

The three older shinobi watched the kunai rip through the dummies 'skull' and out the other side before they finally let their jaws drop. They were amazed with the fact that he was so accurate yet so powerful with his throws. Tenten of course simply cheered her new friend on like she had done before.

"You had better have that boy training very soon or you are never allowed around here again." threatened Kenshin before his kanai(wife, your own) slapped him hard on the arm and hissed.

"He is four years old! Let him have a childhood and if HE wants to train then fine."

"He wants to be a shinobi. That I already know. I plan on teaching him everything I know as soon as he WANTS to begin training." said Anko softly as a way to appease the irate okusan and also inform Kenshin that she did plan on training him. "Now, a more important question would be, when do we start planing a wedding?"

Kenshin and Emi looked over at their musume, who was talking excitedly to Naruto while flailing her arms everywhere. Naruto began to blush under the praise but still he smiled happily at the excited girl.

"It's a bit early for that. We can start talking 'weddings' in 30 or 40 years." said Kenshin while giving the typical 'tou-san' answer.

"Try telling her that." said his kanai with a smile. "So, was clothing the only thing you two were out for?"

"No. We are going to see the Hokage next." Anko replied.

"Any reason?" Kenshin asked.

"There may be a few. I'll let you know how everything turns out later." Anko answered, who sounded a little nervous before adding. "Well if we're going to get in to see him then we need to get going."

"True." agreed Emi with a small smile.

"Naru-chan, it's time to go." she called over to the blond boy.

The two were finally able to leave after Naruto gave Tenten his tenth promise that he would be back. As they began walking towards the Hokage Tower, Naruto was talking a mile a minute about Tenten and everything she taught him. Neither paid any attention to the glares they were getting from the villagers, and the worried looks the shinobi were giving Naruto. They saw him dressed like a mini-Anko and were getting worried that there would be a second one, and to them Konohagakure could only handle one sadistic lunatic.

Right before they reached the tower, Naruto and Anko passed a small park that was popular with the main clans of Konohagakure. They felt that it was safe to bring their children here because it was so close to the Hokage's office and there were shinobi of every rank coming and going at all times of the day.

"Nee-chan?" asked Naruto shyly as he tugged on Anko's coat to gain her attention. When he saw her looking at him he asked. "Can we go play?" As he pointed to the many swings in the park.

"I tell you what, why don't you go play while I speak with the Hokage for a little bit and I'll come find you after I'm done? I might even come get you early so you can meet the Hokage." she offered gently.

"Ok!" said Naruto happily before he hugged her legs tightly before running off towards the swings.

Anko watched with a smile before turning back to the tower and continuing to walk.

Just as Naruto was about to reach the swings he heard a slight whimper. He knew that sound better then anyone so he quickly looked around to see who needed help. He soon found a group of three older boys standing around a small, dark indigo haired girl while they pushed her to the ground and called her names.

"You white eyed freak! You think you're so much better then us because you're a _Hyuuga_, don't you?!" shouted one of the boys as he pushed the girl to the ground again.

"P-Please s-stop." said the girl softly as tears ran down her face.

After seeing this, rage overwhelmed Naruto and with a feral growl he took out his kunai and charged the boys. As he reached them, Naruto jumped into the air and kicked the one he had seen pushing the girl as hard as he could in the side of the head. Everyone in the park stopped at the sound the collision made and watched as the boy was knocked off his feet and flew a good five feet before falling limply to the ground.

"Leave now before I kill every one of you!" he said, repeating the words he heard Anko use when she saved him the night before.

By now the boy he had kicked had finally regained his feet and was stalking towards Naruto. Seeing their friend back on his feet seemed to give the other two added courage so they too moved towards Naruto. As the first boy tried to punch him, Naruto dodged to the side and slammed his kunai into the back of his hand. This shocked everyone around them. They had just seen a four year old boy shove a kunai throw the older boys hand without even blinking.

"I told you to leave." hissed Naruto as he ripped his kunai out of the boys hand.

"Y-You.... G-Get him!" ordered the boy as he cradled his bleeding hand against his chest.

The other kids in the playground, and a few adults, watched as the two other older boys moved towards Naruto, but the blond boy never gave them a chance. With two swift kicks to a very sensitive area, the boys collapse to the ground and cried. Let it not be said that one needs years of training to take down someone larger then oneself.

Seeing that the boys were done, Naruto turned back to the Hyuuga and asked. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes." stuttered the girl softly as she took Naruto's offered hand and rose to her feet. "T-Thank y-you."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?" he asked as the three boys began to crawl away from them.

"H-Hyuuga H-Hinata." she replied as she nervously tapped her index fingers together.

"Do you want to go play on the swings with me?" asked Naruto with a bright smile.

The shy girl only blushed and nodded, but that was all Naruto needed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her over towards the swings. Sadly, they were never given the chance to actually swing as one of the boy's kaa-san(mother) started running towards Naruto with a large stick.

"Um... I better go, Hinata-chan." said Naruto quickly before running from the mammoth woman. Luckily for him the woman was VERY out of shape and gave up the chase just as she reached the swings.

As Naruto ran towards the Hokage's office as fast as he could, he couldn't help but wonder if the pear eyed girl would ever play with him again. Any further thought was interrupted as he rounded a corner and headed straight into a smirking Anko.

"Naru-chan, what's wrong? Is it another mob?" asked Anko worriedly.

"Y-Yes." he said as he gasped for breath.

Anko didn't wast any time as she quickly picked up the boy and ran back towards the Hokage's office where they were quickly let in by his secretary.

The Sandaime Hokage was a little shocked to see Anko walk into his office with a little, blond haired, male version of herself in her arms. "You look worried, Anko?"

"There was another mob, Hokage-sama." she answered with a sigh as she sat down heavily into one of the three chairs across from the Hokage while Naruto sat in her lap and looked at the man with interest.

"Anko-nee-chan, you told me that the Hokage was the strongest shinobi in the village. This guy is so old." he said finally after staring at the man for a few moments.

Instead of being insulted, the elderly Hokage laughed at this while Anko hid her face behind Naruto and giggled. "Naru-chan, this man may be old but he is very strong." she said softly.

Naruto stood up in her lap and pointed at the Hokage and shouted. "Ok jii-san. When I grow up I'm going to be the Hokage and when I do I'm going to send you to a old-peoples home!"

At this declaration the Hokage smiled at the boy and said. "When you're ready to take the title of 'Hokage' from me then I'll give it to you without any hassle. Now, Naruto, do you like staying with Anko?"

Naruto sat back down and looked at Anko for a moment before saying. "She's my 'nee-chan'. I love staying with her."

"Naruto, how would you like to live with her from now on?" asked the old man.

"Can I really?!" asked Naruto as hope shined brightly in his bright blue eyes.

"Anko, wishes to adopt you." answered the Hokage.

At this, Naruto jumped to his feet and threw his arms around Anko's neck and began to cry. Anko smiled happily and wrapped her arms around his tiny waist and hugged him tightly. "So is that a yes?" she whispered.

"Y-Yes." he said as he wiped his runny nose on his coats sleeve. "Will you be my 'nee-chan' still, or will you be my 'kaa-chan'(like mother but less formal, think mommy)?"

"Nee-chan. 'Kaa-san' makes me sound old." said Anko as she scrunched up her nose at the thought of being old.

"Will me name change?" he asked.

"Only if you want it to. Would you rather be Uzumaki Naruto or Mitarashi Naruto?" she asked calmly while inside she knew which one she wanted him to pick.

"I want to be Mitarashi Naruto!" he shouted excitedly while Anko smiled happily at his choice.

Before they could do anything else, a familiar mammoth of a woman stormed into the office as she drug her musuko(son) in behind her, ignoring the shouting guards and secretary. The woman stormed right up to the Hokage's desk and shouted. "I demand that you do something about that dem... that _thing_ right this minute!"

The Hokage must have gotten this a lot because all he did was sit back in his seat, entwine his fingers in front of his chin, and asked in a calm voice. "May I ask what he has done?"

"That little monster stabbed my baby boy with a kunai for no reason!" shouted the woman. "And when I tried to catch him he ran off!"

At this Anko looked at Naruto, who was standing in the chair with his arms wrapped around her neck, and said. "I thought you said there was a mob."

Naruto snickered a little and whispered loudly. "I thought you said 'blob'." This got a laugh out of Anko and the corners of the Hokage's mouth to twitch.

"Naruto, why did you stab this young man?" asked the Hokage.

"He was being mean to Hinata-chan!" accused Naruto.

"You little liar! My musuko told me he was playing quietly with his friends when YOU ran up and stabbed him!" the woman yelled.

By now Anko had had enough of the womans shrill voice so she said. "If you don't shut up or at the very least speak in a normal tone, I will slit your throat."

The woman blanched before she sat down quietly in the chair furthest from Anko.

"Miss, I happen to know what happened at the park because I have ANBU watching it at all times." said the Hokage calmly while the boy paled and started looking nervous. "I happen to know that your musuko and two of his friends were bullying Hyuuga Hinata before Naruto showed up. After he told them to leave your musuko attacked him."

"Good job, by the way." whispered Anko with a sadistic smirk.

"Thanks." Naruto whispered back.

"And while Naruto might have held off on stabbing the boy, he did nothing wrong." finished the Hokage.

The boys kaa-san shot her musuko a look that made him sink into his chair even further before turning back to the Hokage and saying. "Please excuse me, Hokage-sama." She then stood and dragged her musuko out of the office by his cut hand.

As the doors shut the Hokage sighed and shook his head. "Naruto, I did see the fight and I was wondering if you would like to enter the academy early."

Naruto's eyes light up with excitement but Anko quickly stepped in and said. "No thank you."

"But why?" whined Naruto.

"Don't whine Naru-chan." Anko said softly. "And I want to take you on as an apprentice until you graduate. This way you can go to the academy like you normally would but you would be my student until you become a Genin."

"Can we start now?" asked Naruto as he jumped up and down in the chair.

"As soon as you want." she answered. "Now, go wait for me out front."

Naruto hugged her before running out of the office.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" asked the Hokage as he handed Anko the adoption papers and a second stack of papers to make him her apprentice.

"Yes. He needs someone as much as I do." she said softly as she started signing the papers. "Besides, you saw the way he was dressed. He wouldn't even touch anything if it didn't match my cloths and as for teaching him. My style is a very demanding style to learn but I think he will really excel at it."

"Are you going to teach him everything?" he asked calmly.

"As his master... mistress... whatever, I can teach him anything I feel he should learn." she said a little defensively.

"Anko, I didn't mean it like that." said the Hokage with a small smile. "I meant are you going to teach him jutsus well past Genin and Academy level? Also, you would be his mistress."

"Sorry." she said sheepishly. The Hokage was one of the only people who was ever kind to her so she had the utmost respect for him. "To answer your question. Yes, I plan on teaching him as fast as he can learn and I don't plan on holding anything back because of age or rank."

"Could this be because you want him to excel at the academy?" asked the Hokage teasingly while Anko's cheeks flushed a little.

"Maybe a little. He will be in a class with many of the heirs and heiresses of the major clans. If I don't teach him then he will be going into the academy at a disadvantage." she explained while the Hokage nodded his head and agreed with her reasoning.

"Also, he would suffer without anyone around to help him. I understand Anko and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." said the kind, elderly Hokage.

"Then I'll be looking for you when I need a babysitter." she joked as she finished signing the papers and left the office of a now slightly worried Hokage.

As she exited the tower Anko found her new touto(younger/little brother) outside pretending to be in the middle of a large battlefield. She couldn't help but laugh when Naruto was 'killed'. "You know, most kids imagine themselves as the hero but you have yourself dieing early in the battle." she teased as Naruto jumped to his feet and ran up to her smiling.

"But I was fighting off an army of evil Hokages!" he stated as Anko took his hand and began walking back to their apartment.

"Why were they evil?" she asked.

"They kidnapped you and wouldn't give you back." he explained.

"So you died trying to save me?" asked Anko as she smiled.

"Of course, but once you train me to be a shinobi I'll be able to save you and live!" he said proudly.

"A worthy goal." she teased as she patted him on the head fondly.

As they started to walk past a small stand an older man shouted. "Anko! When are you going to stop by again? You know we need the business!"

Anko smiled at the man before looking down at Naruto and asking. "Are you hungry?" When Naruto nodded his head quickly, Anko led him into the small stand and lifted him up into one of the chairs around the counter. "Teuchi, you old fart, how have you been?" asked Anko while the old man smiled at her and Naruto giggled at the name.

"I'm as good as can be expected, but the more important question is who is this?" he asked as he looked down as Naruto.

"It is Mitarashi Naruto, my new touto!" she said proudly.

"Naruto huh?" said the man as he studied Naruto for a few moments. "Tell me Naruto, do you like ramen?"

"What's ramen?" he asked with a confused look.

The man looked about ready to have a heart-attack before shouting. "Ayame! Start boiling water!"

He then walked away muttering things like 'has never had ramen' and 'I'll show him'. This confused Naruto even more until Anko said. "Naru-chan, Teuchi owns and runs this stand which is a ramen stand. After I bugged him enough he started making dango and sweet bean soup as well but the man swears that ramen is the cure to all problems. His musume Ayame, who's about 12 years old, helps him a lot and makes very good dango, which is my favorite food along with sweet bean soup."

"Is ramen good?" asked Naruto.

"Yes it is and Teuchi makes some of the best ramen you will ever have." she stated firmly.

A few minutes later the old man came back with a large bowl of beef ramen and a large plate filled with dango. "Here you go." he said as he set the food in front of the two.

Naruto stared at the bowl filled with noodles and broth before taking a tentative bite. As the noodles and broth filled his mouth, Narutos eyes went wide before he shivered and began shoveling the food into his mouth.

Anko watched and laughed as yet another person was made into a ramen addict by Teuchi's ramen. Shaking her head slightly Anko began to eat the sweet tasting dango in front of her and before long the two had eaten everything within arms reach, most of this was done by Naruto.

Just like at breakfast Naruto had eaten to much, to quickly and was now holding his stomach and groaning. "I thought you said that you weren't going to do this again?" asked Anko who seemed to think that this was all very funny.

"Ramen...good." he mumbled while Anko and Teuchi simply laughed at the blond boy while Teuchi's musume, Ayame, gave him a sympathetic look.

Anko stood and took out some money for the food but as she was about to lay it on the counter Teuchi stopped her. "Technically you never ordered anything so I can't charge you. Besides, with the way he ate that bowl of ramen, I believe that he will be coming back frequently." he said with a smile.

"Thanks Teuchi." said Anko as she put her money back in her pocket before picking up Naruto and placing him on her shoulders. "Ready to go, Naru-chan?"

"Yes." he answered softly as he laid his head on hers like he had done the night before.

As they started back to they 'apartment' Anko began thinking about Naruto's fight with the older boys. She knew for a fact that the boy he had stabbed was in the shinobi academy and it was more then likely that his friends were as well and the fact that Naruto was able to beat them without a mark to show for it made Anko even more excited to begin training him.

"Naru-chan?" she asked.

"Yes, nee-chan?"

"What exactly happened with the Hyuuga girl?" she asked calmly.

"I was getting ready to start swinging when I heard someone whimpering. When I looked around I saw three older boys knocking Hinata-chan down and calling her names, so I ran over there and kicked one of them on the head before telling them to leave. When they didn't, the one I kicked tried to punch me so I moved and stabbed his hand with my kunai. He then told the other two to 'get me' so I kicked them between the legs." said Naruto happily while Anko couldn't help but smile sadistically at the last part. "And when me and Hinata-chan were about to go play on the swings that fat lady started chasing me with a stick so I ran."

"Well, as soon as you want to we can begin your training." she said while her own excited gleam in her eyes.

"What will you teach me?" he asked.

"The first thing we will be working on is teaching you to read and write. After that I will start teaching you the basics of my taijutsu style, some of the academy ninjutsus, and some basic poisons. Once you learn those I will start teaching you my snake and poison ninjutsus." By the time Anko was done speaking Naruto was literally bouncing with excitement. "Normally you would also learn weapons but you seem to be very good with kunai already so, while I might teach you to use a katana, those will more then likely be your main weapons."

"Can we start when we get home?" asked the excited blue eyed boy.

Anko gave a quick smile at the word 'home' before saying. "As soon as we get home I'll start teaching you to read."

The rest of the walk was spent talking about what he was going to learn and of his two new friends. Anko couldn't help but wonder if he was planing on making any male friends; not that she minded any. Once Naruto became a teenager most of his male friends would stare at her chest and then she would be forced to kill them so this saved her some paperwork.

As the two made it to the fence surrounding the forest, they saw a women who looked slightly older then Anko leaving. The woman had shoulder length, black wavy hair, ruby red lips, and deep crimson eyes. She wore ceremonial bandages that covered her waist, torso, and shoulders while her metal-mesh undershirt had one solid red sleeve that covered her right arm and her left was left bare. All in all this woman was strikingly beautiful. _But not as pretty as my nee-chan. _Thought Naruto as the woman and Anko walked towards each other.

"Anko! You should hear the rumors going around about you! They're saying you have... a... kid..." she started before trailing off once she finally noticed Naruto sitting on her shoulders.

"Kurenai, this is Mitarashi Naruto, formally Uzumaki, my new touto! Naru-chan, this is my best friend for many years Yuuhi Kurenai." said Anko while smiling at the shocked look on Kurenai's face.

"Hello." said Naruto happily while the poor woman could only wave back weakly.

"We were just about to head inside so I could teach Naru-chan here how to read and write. Do you want to come to?" offered Anko.

Kurenai nodded dumbly as she continued to stare at Naruto before following them back to their apartment. Once they were there, Anko sat down with Naruto and began teaching him how to read and write simple words. She was amazed at the speed Naruto seemed to pick everything up and as it began to get dark outside, Naruto fell asleep at the table with is face propped up in his hand.

"Naru-chan, why don't you go to bed? We will start again early tomorrow morning." offered Anko.

Naruto nodded before standing, hugging Anko tightly, and running off to Anko's room where he fell asleep as soon as his head it the pillow.

Kurenai, who had been silent the entire time, finally asked. "Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Anko sighed and went into the kitchen where she got a small bottle of saké and two small dishes before walking back into the living room and sat down opposite Kurenai around the low table. She then pored them both a drink before saying. "Last night I was out walking when I found Naruto being beaten by a not so small gathering of shinobi and villagers. After I killed one of the shinobi and scared off the rest I took Naruto back here to clean him up and give him a place to sleep. This morning I went to see the Hokage and adopted Naruto and took him on as my apprentice. It's only been one day and he has all ready caught on to my sadistic nature."

"What do you mean?" asked Kurenai who had understood everything but the last part. She was also a little shocked that she had taken the small blond as her apprentice.

Anko laughed and smiled fondly at the memory before explaining. "Earlier today when I went to the Hokage's office I left Naruto at the park near there. Before he could even make it to the swings he found a few Academy boys picking on the Hyuuga heiress. Naruto kicked one of them in the head before stabbing him with a kunai when he tried to punch him. He then kicked the other two in the balls before taking the Hyuuga over to the swings to play. He was soon chased out of the park by the kaa-san of the boy he stabbed and when I met him he said that there was a 'mob' chasing him. Imagine my surprise when a single woman showed up with her musuko to yell at him. When I asked him about it he said. 'I thought you said blob'."

At the end of the story Kurenai and Anko were both laughing loudly while Kurenai was a little worried about having another 'Anko' around. Anko might have been her best friend but even she thought that Anko was crazy as hell.

"Are you sure about this, Anko?" asked Kurenai seriously.

"Yes. Him and I both need this." Anko replied softly.

Kurenai simply nodded her head. She knew how hard it was for Anko and Naruto, not from first hand experience but from the fact that she was the only one willing to listen to Anko when she felt like talking, so she knew well everything the villagers did to her, or said to her. When is came to Uzumaki Naruto, however, she knew nothing and had struggled to keep it the way. Kurenai was not trying to be unkind or unfeeling, but she knew that it would break her heart to hear some of the things the village did to the poor boy. She knew that even Anko knew very little of his pain because she at least had a family, friends, a chance to grow up a little where as Naruto had been a pariah his whole life and had never had a friend or loved one to talk to until now.

"Well I for one am happy for you." Kurenai stated before raising her dish in a toast to the two of them. Once she downed her saké she added jokingly. "But did you have to dress him like you?"

Anko shook her head and smiled. "I never had a choice. I took Naruto to Kenshin and Emi's this morning and he stated quite firmly that he wanted to be just like me, minus the skirt of course."

"Did he and Tenten get along ok?" Kurenai asked.

"The best of friends. Tenten taught Naruto how to throw a kunai and then we found out that the boy must be a prodigy with the things. He can throw a kunai clean through the head of a practice dummies head from over 20 feet." Anko boasted.

"Impressive." agreed Kurenai calmly while inside she knew that she was going to have to listen to the 'proud kaa-san speech' every time Naruto succeeded at something.

The two were interrupted by a soft voice from the hallway. "Nee-chan?"

Anko looked and found Naruto standing in the hallway with tears in his eyes. "What is it Naru-chan?" she asked gently.

Naruto didn't say anything but ran to her, jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"What's wrong?" Anko pressed.

"I-I w-woke up a-and t-thought t-that you l-left me." said Naruto quietly as he curled into a tiny ball in her lap and cried.

Kurenai watched as Anko whispered reassurances to the small boy while running her hand gently over his back. She was shocked and amazed at the fact that Anko could be a caring kaa-san figure and not just some crazy, sadistic, psycho woman they all knew she was. But if she were to be honest with herself even she wanted to comfort the crying child.

"I think I'll head home." she said softly to the two.

"Good night Kurenai." said Anko as her friend stood and walked towards the door.

"Good night Anko, Naruto." she said before walking out of the apartment and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Naru-chan, why did you think I left you? Do you really think that I would adopt you only to leave you again?" asked Anko as she stood and carried Naruto back into her room before laying him down and sliding in beside him.

"N-No, but o-one time a villager p-pretended to be n-nice t-to me and when I followed h-her i-into an alley she s-stared h-hitting me." cried Naruto as Anko pulled him even closer to her and held him tightly.

"Well I'm never going to leave you, Naru-chan." she said gently.

"Y-You p-promise?" asked the demon vessel.

"I promise." she vowed. "Now get some sleep, Naru-chan. Tomorrow I want to start you on taijutsu and continue on your lessons in reading and writing."

Naruto nodded sleepily as he rubbed his blood shot eyes one finally time before closing them and finally falling asleep.

"I promise things will be different." Anko said softly as she too closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

It had been four years since Anko and Naruto had found each other and for four years Anko has been teaching Naruto everything she knew. Every ninjutsu, everything about their taijutsu style, and even the one and only genjutsu she knew. When Anko had told the Hokage that she thought that Naruto would excel at her style she had no idea just how much of an understatement she had made. No, Naruto didn't just 'excel', he was a prodigy when it came to poisons and her snake jutsus. He had already learned the basics of every jutsu she knew and only had to refine what he knew to the point of mastery. He had even taught Anko a few new ninjutsus as well as created his own, and with the help of Kenshin and Tenten his kenjutsu was very advanced for his age. Tenten was just happy to have someone to spar with at all hours of the night. This was a sort of unwritten rule for being Mitarashi Anko's apprentice. You had to be ready for training of any kind at any time of day or night. Naruto had also learned why Anko was considered a sadist when she woke him up a three in the morning for agility training. This consisted of Anko throwing kunai at Naruto for an entire day. Needless to say that Naruto would have made any of Tenten's practice dummies jealous with the number of kunai that were lodged in his body.

The hardest thing for Anko came when Naruto turned six years old. This was when she believed he was ready to hear about the Kyuubi. Kyuubi no Youko, or the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, was the demon responsible for nearly wiping Konohagakure off the map. If it hadn't been for the Yondaime Hokage giving up his life to seal the demon away, every man, woman, and child would have been slaughtered. After flying into a rage, collapsing into tears, and not speaking for a few days, Naruto finally came to terms with his lot in life and vowed that he would become Hokage regardless of what he held inside him. He even started training harder stating that he needed to be stronger if he was going to keep Kyuubi in its prison. Anko didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't need to and that the seal wouldn't be affected by how strong he was so she let him believe what he wanted and trained him how he asked.

So, at eight years old Mitarashi Naruto was about to face his first day of the shinobi academy. This made many people nervous because everyone knew that Naruto had picked up every single sadistic trait that Anko had and coupled with the fact that he was even more of a prodigy in snake and poison techniques then Anko herself was meant that many parents were telling their children to not pick fights with the blond boy.

Currently the blond boy was sitting at the kitchen table with his mistress and nee-chan eating a large breakfast of ramen, dango, and eggs.

"Naru-chan, I wanted to speak with you about something." Anko said calmly as she pushed her plate away from her and turned to Naruto. "Naru-chan, do you really want to be my apprentice still?"

At this Naruto began choking on large bite of ramen he had been eating. As he coughed and hacked his throat clear of the noodles he looked at Anko like she had lost her mind and said. "Anko-nee-chan, I love being your apprentice! Why?"

"Naru-chan, I have little else I can teach you. All you really need to do is refine your skills." said a now twenty year old Anko. She knew that she was very proud of him but couldn't stop the small part of her from wishing that he was a slower learner if only for the fact that she would still have something to teach him. The fact that he didn't seem to need her anymore the way he once did was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Nee-chan, you could teach me advanced anatomy, advanced psychology, torture, and interrogation. There are still lots of things I need to learn from you. Please keep me as your apprentice!" he begged.

Anko had never really considered that he would want to follow her into her field of study. Truthfully she hadn't _let _herself think of it encase he didn't want to or learned what she did and became scared of her.

"Are you sure?" she asked seriously while inside she was all but jumping up and down cheering that he wanted to continue.

"Yes. Nee-chan, I know what you and Ibiki do and I don't see you any different. If you and he didn't do your job our village would suffer from our lack of knowledge. I also know that you enjoy it because you are crazy but so am I." he said teasingly with his own sadistic smirk, something that Anko had taught him long ago.

"Watch it, brat." she growled playfully back to him before sighing. "I will keep you on as my apprentice and I will start teaching you what is required in my field but our training will have to be held after your lessons end at the academy." Seeing Naruto grumble at th last part she added. "I know you don't want to go, and I know you will be bored out of your skull but I want you graduating with children your own age. To many good men and women graduate early and die or go crazy because they couldn't handle it. I also know that you are much stronger then they were and would be fine but I won't take that chance."

"Fine." Naruto said with a sigh.

"Besides, what do I expect you to do in the academy?" asked Anko with a smirk.

Naruto snapped to attention and stated. "You said. 'You better show those snot nosed little shits what a real shinobi of the Leaf is or so help me you will be doing agility training from three days straight!'."

"Good, and my threat is very real. If you aren't at the top of your class in every subject I will make your life a living hell." she said in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice which caused Naruto to shudder.

"I love you too, nee-chan." mocked Naruto.

With a growl Anko dove at Naruto and the two began one of their all to common mock fights. Like all the other fights this one ended with Naruto in a headlock while Anko gave him a noogie.

"Stop!" screamed Naruto as he tried to pull his head from under her arm.

"Say it!" she ordered.

"Come on!" whined Naruto.

"Say it or you'll be late!" she threatened.

"Fine. Anko-nee-chan is the most beautiful woman in the world and I, Mitarashi Naruto, am a snot nosed little bastard who is beyond lucky to have her as my nee-chan." Naruto said before making mock retching noises as Anko let him go and pushed him to the ground.

"I always knew you were smart." she said fondly as she started straightening he now messy blond hair. "Now go or you'll be late!"

"Bye!" he called before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto arrived just in time to scare most of the class and shock their teacher. Ignoring their looks, and glares Naruto walked down and sat beside is long time friend Hyuuga Hinata. "Hello Hinata-chan." he whispered as the instructor resumed taking roll.

"I-I was w-worried when you didn't show." she said with only a slight stutter. After four years of being friends with a very loud Naruto and an equally loud Tenten, Hinata had gained back most of her confidence and had lost most of her stutter.

"Anko-nee-chan got me in another headlock." he muttered while Hinata could only giggle.

Hinata knew all to well what that meant and had always thought it was funny. She was also one of the only ones that knew about Kyuubi and Naruto. Naruto had told her and Tenten after her kaa-san had passed away giving birth to her imouto, Hanabi. While Tenten and Hinata were shocked, they didn't really mind. In fact it helped them both realize that their problems seemed small compared to his. Naruto had tried to tell them that their problems weren't nothing but they just wouldn't listen to him.

"Mitarashi Naruto." said their teacher with a slight wince as he read the name.

"Here!" supplied Naruto simply yet loudly.

"Naruto, since you were late to begin with and then proceeded to talk to Hinata, you missed when I said that you were supposed to stand and tell everyone about yourself." said the teacher with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh." said Naruto as he got to his feet. "As you heard my name is Mitarashi Naruto. I was adopted when I was four by my nee-chan and mistress, Mitarashi Anko who is a Tokubetsu Jounin. She has been training me since I was four years old. I am good with poison and snake jutsus as well as my taijutsu. I enjoy spending time with my nee-chan as well as Hinata-chan, Tenten-chan, and Anko-nee-chan's friends. I am about to begin learning torture and interrogation tactics from Anko-nee-chan."

With that Naruto sat down while most of the class looked confused by what he had said while the rest, plus the teacher, were shocked that he had already had so much training. Hinata seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected by his introduction because she had known it all for years.

Once everyone was finished introducing themselves, the teacher said. "My name is Umino Iruka and I will be your teacher for the next four years. During this time you will learn everything you need to to begin a career as a shinobi of Konohagakure. Some of you are entering the class ahead of other, while some are entering with little to no prior knowledge. This will not harm you in any way. I will teach you all you need to know to become Genins. Once you graduate it will be your sensei's duty to train you even further but you must be willing to practice and study out side of what is expected of you if you wish to excel in this line of work. Yes, Sakura?" he added as a pink haired girl raised her hand.

Naruto was mentally kicking himself for not listening to their names when the girl asked. "What will we be learning?"

"I will be teaching you about chakra and chakra control, our villages history, survival training, basic jutsus, and what different ranks mean and how to achieve them. I will also be teaching you the basics of taijutsu and about some of our most famous shinobi. There might be more but that all depends on how quickly everyone picks up the basics. Naruto, can you tell the class what ninjutsu you used to get here and why I should be punishing you?" asked Iruka as he glared at the blond boy.

"That was the 'Body Flicker Technique'. As to why you _should_ be punishing me, because it is a move that is supposed to be taught when someone reaches the rank of Chuunin." explained Naruto calmly.

"And why can't I punish you?" asked Iruka.

"Because a mistress or master may teach their apprentice anything they feel fit, regardless of rank or age." he replied.

"Correct. For a shinobi to take on an apprentice is a rare thing and for one to take one on so young is almost unheard of, but Mitarashi Anko has never been one to conform with any set of rules or edict." said Iruka who sounded almost spiteful.

"You might want to be careful Iruka-sensei. That almost sounded like you were insulting my nee-chan." said Naruto warningly as his lips curved into a smirk.

Iruka seemed to ignore this and began his lesson for the day, which was just covering what they would be learning in more depth then his earlier explanation.

"You shouldn't say things like t-that N-Naruto-kun." whispered Hinata.

"I'm sorry but he seems to hate me already." Naruto replied.

"W-Well now you're just giving him a reason to." she said sternly.

"I'll apologies during lunch." muttered Naruto. Few people in the world could get Mitarashi Naruto to do anything and those few were Hinata, Tenten, and Anko. Their were a few others that Naruto would occasionally listen to like the Sandaime Hokage, Kurenai, Kenshin, Emi, the ramen people, and Ibiki but those were more because he liked them then anything. When the first three sounded disappointed or upset it crushed him. They were is first friends and family and they meant everything to him.

"G-Good. Naruto-kun, you know you c-can't afford to act like a j-jerk if you want people to see past your 'furry friend'." she said in a much softer tone.

"I know." he admitted.

Hinata reached over and patted his arm to offer some comfort before the two turned their attention back to the mans lesson. Finally at around one o'clock Iruka called for a lunch break. Naruto and Hinata sighed in relief as they were give a short break from the torture. Iruka was obviously a very good teacher but they had learned everything he was talking about from their families and friends years ago.

Before Iruka could walk out the door Naruto called out for him to wait. "Yes?" Iruka asked shortly.

"I want to apologize for my behavior. I don't like it when people insult my nee-chan but you are the teacher so I should have shown you some respect and I'm sorry." said Naruto.

Iruka looked at the mini-Anko in shock. He knew he had been an ass to the kid and here he was apologizing for standing up for his family. _Maybe I was wrong about him. Anko seems to have done a good job raising him aside from the whole sadistic thing. _He thought before saying. "I should apologies as well. I let my feelings for something else get in the way."

"Did you lose your family to Kyuubi?" asked Naruto sadly.

"Y-Yes." said Iruka weakly while he was shocked that the boy already knew about the demon.

"Anko-nee-chan told me about it when I was six. I'm sorry for your loss but I am not Kyuubi." Naruto said before walking out of the classroom with Hinata.

_Maybe I was very wrong. _Iruka thought while making a mental note to see Anko about this as he left his classroom before disappearing.

Naruto and Hinata were sitting comfortably under in the shade of a large tree while eating their lunches and talking when an arrogant looking boy walked up with a few girls and boys following him.

"How did you do that jutsu?" demanded the boy.

"If you want to know then study and find out for yourself." Naruto answered dismissively before turning back to Hinata who seemed to by trying very hard not to laugh at the boys outraged look.

"Do you know who I am?!" shouted the boy angrily.

"No, and I don't really care either." Naruto replied while the boys snickered and the girls looked highly offended.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke!" the boy said arrogantly, causing may of the girls to swoon.

"You could call yourself 'Booger' for all I care. I'm still not telling you." Naruto said while Hinata giggled into her hand. "Now please leave."

"That's it! Fight me now!" ordered the black haired boy named Sasuke.

"Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto.

"G-Go ahead." she said with a sigh.

Naruto stood and brushed himself off before looking at the Uchiha. The boy had black hair and eyes, a pale complexion, and what seemed like a permanent scowl on his face. He wore a blue t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back and a pair of black shorts and shoes.

"Fine I'll fight you." he said calmly before he reached inside his coat to the sides of his legs and pulled out a pair of kunai. "You say when."

The boy never said 'when', he just growled and charged Naruto. Said boy sighed, put his kunai away and said in a lazy voice. "Fukumikuchi Hari."(Hidden Mouth Needles) Before he used his tongue to flip two needles from his mouth onto his lips. He then spat them at the charging boy, hitting him in the forehead causing him to stop.

"How dare you spit on Sasuke-kun?!" shouted the pink haired girl named Sakura and a blond haired girl who he later found out was named Ino.

"If you would pay attention you would notice the two needles sticking out of his forehead." said Naruto calmly and as if on que, Sasuke froze.

"What did you do to me?!" he demanded through his clenched teeth.

"Those needles are hollow and hold a fast acting poison in them that is released on contact. The poison freezes every joint in the body and lasts for up to three hours depending on a persons height, weight, and blood pressure." explained Naruto before he turned and walked back to Hinata. "Sorry about that."

"I-It's ok." Hinata replied calmly as she and Naruto resumed eating their lunches. It was then that Naruto noticed a familiar tiny bottle.

"Damn it Anko-nee-chan." he muttered.

"W-What is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"Nee-chan put a bottle of saké in my lunch." he answered with a sigh.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the wry look on Naruto's face. "D-Does that really s-surprise you?" she asked.

"No, not really." said Naruto who then shrugged and took a drink from the bottle.

"N-Naruto-kun!" shouted Hinata once she saw him drink from the bottle.

"Well what else am I supposed to drink?" he whined.

Hinata tried her best to glare at him but the effect was ruined as her lips betrayed her by curling upward. "Fine but don't d-drink to much." she said with a heavy sigh.

"Naruto." said a voice from behind them.

Turning to see who had spoken, Naruto found Iruka standing there with a glaring Sakura and Ino while Sasuke was still frozen stiff.

"Yes Iruka-sensei? Is something wrong?" asked Naruto innocently which Hinata seemed to think was very funny because the poor girl snorted loudly as she tried to fight her laughter. Everyone stopped and looked at the now blushing girl as she ducked her head and tried wishing them all away.

Iruka took pity on the girl and said. "Yes something is wrong. You can't go around poisoning people."

"Why not?" he asked.

Iruka seemed so caught off guard by the simple question that it took him a few moments before he replied with. "Because it's wrong." They could all tell that Iruka didn't have a real reason but out of respect for him and his position they went along with it.

"The Uchiha demanded I fight him so I did. I can't be held responsible for what happens to him during a fight HE started." reasoned Naruto calmly.

"Either way I have to send you to the Hokage's office." said Iruka who Naruto could tell didn't really want to do this.

"Now?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

Nodding his head Naruto turned to Hinata and gave her a helpless shrug, which she returned, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto reappeared seconds later in the office of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the academy?" asked the elderly Hokage who, to be quit honest, was happy for any reason to postpone doing anymore paperwork.

"Yeah but Iruka-sensei sent me here after I got in a fight, well it wasn't really a fight so much as someone tried to start a fight with me and I poisoned them." explained Naruto as he sat down in the center chair across from the old man.

The Hokage sighed before walking to his door and poking his head out before saying something to his secretary. Once this was done he walked calmly back to his desk where he sat down and leaned back in his chair.

A few moments later a smiling Anko appeared in the office.

Naruto groaned and said. "You called my nee-chan?"

At this the Sandaime couldn't help but smile as he motioned for Anko to sit. "Young Naruto here was involved in a 'almost fight' fight at the academy." he said calmly.

"What the hell is an 'almost fight' fight?" asked Anko who was looking at the Hokage as if he had finally become to old for his own good.

"Naruto, please tell her what you told me." said the Hokage.

"At lunch Hinata-chan and I were eating peacefully when some arrogant mamas boy came up and demanded that I teach him the 'Body Flicker Technique'. I said no so he then demanded that I fight him. I had two chooses: A) beat him quickly and resume my pleasant lunch with Hinata-chan, or B) not fight him and listen to his whining for the rest of the lunch hour. Since I am here I can imagine that you know which one I choose." explained Naruto eloquently.

"Nice speech. How long were you working on it?" asked Anko with a smirk.

"As soon as Iruka-sensei told me to come here." he admitted with a guiltily smile.

"So who did you beat and with what?" asked Anko.

"Uchiha Sasuke and with my mouth needles." said Naruto proudly.

"Good job!" cried Anko as she leaned over and hugged Naruto tightly before the Hokage cleared his throat. "Um.... I mean, bad Naru-chan! That's a bad little fox!" she chided jokingly.

"I'm sorry." said Naruto in a mock apologetic tone.

The Hokage just sighed and shook his head. "I should have known that you would be congratulated by Anko if you were sent here for fighting. Normal people would have gotten in trouble." he said lightly.

"Not in our family!" stated Anko with a bright smile.

"Oh yeah, nee-chan? Did you mean to give me a bottle of saké with my lunch?" asked Naruto calmly.

"I didn't notice until you were gone and by then I figured that you might want it." she answered sheepishly.

"You gave your eight year old touto saké?" asked the Sandaime sternly.

"Good job." Anko muttered under her breath to a now snickering Naruto.

"And just were is this saké?" the Hokage asked Naruto who was now squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"I drank it." he admitted.

The Hokage tried to look stern but couldn't keep it up so he sighed heavily and asked. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"

"Nothing?" offered the two.

"Anko, go back to work. Naruto, go back to the academy and tell Iruka that you have been 'punished'." he ordered calmly.

The two looked at each other before nodding and disappearing. Each then reappeared in their respective places. In Naruto's case he arrived startling many in the process.

"Sorry about that." he said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck and offered them a small smile before he walk down to his seat beside Hinata.

"Everything taken care of?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah, I got punished." Naruto said sadly.

Iruka looked at him for a moment before snorting and turning back to his blackboard. _Like I believe that. Knowing Anko she more then likely rewarded him. Although it was funny to see Sasuke stuck like that. _Thought Iruka as he wrote the next part of his lesson on the board.

"A-Are you ok, N-Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata softly.

"Hinata-chan, you know my nee-chan. What kind of punishment would she give me for fighting?" asked Naruto with a very slight smile.

"S-She would most likely be happ..." started Hinata before her eyes went wide and she giggled.

"I knew you were quick." whispered Naruto. "Hey, I have training with Anko-nee-chan after our class but what do you say we try and find Tenten-chan after that?"

"T-That sounds nice." agreed Hinata softly.

Naruto smiled at her before sitting back, laying his feet on top of the desk, and closing his eyes while four sets of eyes saw this with very different reactions. Hinata saw this and smiled at her blond friend. Iruka decided to let it slid this once because of what he had done to the arrogant Uchiha, and Ino and Sakura glared at him while each thinking the same thing. _How dare he do that to MY Sasuke-kun!_ Naruto himself only noticed Hinata's reaction but to him that was the only one that mattered right then.

A few hours later a soft bell rang, signaling the end of the day. As Iruka tried to shout out assignments as the children ran from the room as fast as they could; Naruto and Hinata walked out calmly.

"So, should I come by and get you or do you want to come over to my place first?" asked Naruto with a smirk while Hinata glared at him playfully. He knew full well that Hinata NEVER went to his house by herself simply because it was in the middle of a place called the 'Forest of Death'! That alone seemed to wared off visitors, but she was more then willing to walk through it with either him or Tenten, who didn't mind the forest at all. Of course Naruto would almost always use the 'Body Flicker Technique' to get them there faster even though Tenten would rant and rave for hours about 'how much fun they were missing'. Hinata's view was that a day with limited encounters of things that could kill her was a good day.

"C-Come pick me u-up, Naruto-kun." she stated.

"As you command." said Naruto with a mocking bow.

"Y-You should act like this m-more often." joked the pearl eyed girl.

Naruto laughed and gave Hinata a playful shove before saying. "You wish."

Before long the two were in front of the 'Hyuuga Compound' and with a quick hug, Hinata ran inside with a happy smile on her face.

Ignoring the glares the guards gave him, Naruto turned and ran off towards this home. Ever since Naruto had been taught the Body Flicker, Anko had stated that it was only to be used when he was running late, needed to get somewhere in a hurry, or just needed to get past the forest surrounding their apartment.

Not wanting to be late for his new lessons, Naruto ran as fast as he could towards the gates. As he reached them he never even slowed down and as he was about to run into the gate he suddenly disappeared. What Naruto forgot was the first rule Anko had taught him when he learned the technique. Which was NEVER use it while running, because if you do you reappear running. Normally this isn't a problem if you were reappearing in a clearing or an open street but Naruto was reappearing right in front of their door and with a loud thud Naruto ran face first into the wooden door.

As he bounced off the door and clutched his now bleeding nose, Naruto shouted. "Damn it all to fucking he..." Before Anko opened the door.

She looked down at her touto with a sadistic smirk as she leaned against the door frame and listened to his string of swear words, all of which he learned from Anko early on in life.

"You did it running didn't you?" she asked as Naruto began wiping the blood from the now healed wound.

"Shut up!" he shouted as he pushed by her only to find Kurenai and Ibiki sitting in their living room laughing. "Perfect!" he muttered as he walked into the kitchen to get a wet rag.

"So what was that about?" asked a gruff sounding Morino Ibiki. If his voice sounded gruff then there was no word to describe his looks. The man was truly a 'man of his trade' and in this case it wasn't a good thing. Ibiki was Konohagakures top torture and interrogation specialist and the man had scars all over his body and drill holes in his head from his own stays with enemy shinobi. This might have been what Anko liked about him or it could have been that he himself was a sadist. Either way Naruto found him to be a nice guy and fun to be around.

"I was excited about starting my new lessons!" he shouted happily.

"New lessons?" asked Kurenai. This woman was the wild card and for the life of him Naruto couldn't figure out how her and Anko were such good friends. Kurenai was a Genjutsu Mistress and a over all nice person. She cared about people and would help anyone. She was like a more confident, red eyed Hinata. Where as Anko was like he was. _I guess that is the answer then. _He thought with a mental laugh. He had never thought that Kurenai and Anko matched Hinata and himself so well.

"Yeah, nee-chan is going to start teaching me advanced anatomy, advanced psychology, torture, and interrogation!" he said happily as he began all but jumping up and down as excitement swelled inside him.

"Following the 'family' trade are you?" asked Ibiki with a harsh laugh.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Naruto calmly.

Kurenai looked at Anko and said. "Leave it to you to adopt a cute blond haired, blue eyed boy and turn him into a sadist by the time he turned eight." She then couldn't help but laugh as Naruto and Anko both gave the exact same look of outrage as they clutched their hearts. "Never mind. You two deserve each other."

"Thank you!" they chorused with bright smiles.

"You're both crazy." said Ibiki with a sad shack of his head.

"Who are YOU to call anyone crazy, Ibiki?" asked Naruto, who despite the highly offended tone was still smiling happily.

Kurenai laughed and stated. "He has you there, Scar-head."

Ibiki gave a threatening growl which would have worked on anyone other then the three of them. They just let him growl while smiling patronizingly at him.

"Naru-chan, I'm going to have to postpone our lessons until tomorrow morning. I forgot that I made plans with these two." Anko said gently.

Naruto sighed heavily before nodding and saying. "That's ok, nee-chan. You go out and have fun with your hoodlum friends, but I expect you home before ten o'clock young lady!"

"Only ten?!" whined Anko jokingly.

"Fine, 10:30 but I expect you to clean your room tomorrow!" Naruto said sternly.

"Deal." said Anko happily before both she and Naruto cracked up while Ibiki and Kurenai just looked relived that they were joking.

"Well, I'm going to go get Hinata-chan before heading over to Tenten-chan!" shouted Naruto before he grabbed his key and disappearing.

"Does he have any male friends?" asked Ibiki once Naruto had left.

"None, but after what he did to Uchiha Sasuke, I'd be surprised if he doesn't by the end of the week." she answered with a soft laugh.

"What did he do to that brat?" asked Kurenai.

"He poisoned him after the Uchiha demanded that he fight him. My little Naru-chan got sent to the Hokage's office on the first day!" she said proudly as she wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

"But knowing you, you're actually proud." muttered Ibiki.

"I heard that!" shouted Anko.

"I still haven't heard you deny it." Kurenai pointed out.

Anko smirked evilly before saying. "Fine, I'm proud of Naruto."

Said boy sneezed loudly before stopping in front of the Hyuuga guards. "Hey, could you please tell Hinata-chan that I am here?" he asked.

"_You _should not refer to Hinata-sama in such familiar terms." growled one of the guards while the other left to get Hinata.

"Why not? She and Tenten-chan are my best-friends!" Naruto stated loudly.

"Maybe now, but not for long." sneered the guard.

Before Naruto could ask him what he meant a very familiar girl ran out of the front door and right up to him.

"N-Naruto-kun! I-I wasn't expecting you so soon!" she said happily.

"Well, Anko-nee-chan postponed our lessons until tomorrow morning because she forgot that she had made plans with Ibiki and Kurenai." he said with a sigh.

"Did y-you tell her to be home by ten?" asked Hinata with a giggle as she lead Naruto away from the guards and towards their other friends house.

"No, she can stay out until 10:30 but she has to clean her room tomorrow." joked Naruto while Hinatas giggle turned into an outright laugh at the way Anko and Naruto behaved.

"I-I wish I had a nee-san like Anko-sempai." Hinata said softly.

Naruto gave her a sad look before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. Hinata had told him that as soon as her kaa-san had passed away her tou-san changed drastically. Her tou-san no longer treated her like he had. He was now cold and condescending as if he blamed Hinata for his wifes' death. Hyuuga Hitomi died bringing Hinata's imouto, Hanabi, now two years old, into the world. The only thing he did anymore that would be considered a 'nice' was letting Hinata be friends with Naruto and Tenten, even when it caused him to go against the clan elders. Naruto was one of the few who saw this as him just not caring what she did but it gave Hinata hope so who was he to tell her any different?

"He'll come around Hinata-chan." Naruto said gently. "You just work hard and become someone your kaa-san would be proud of."

"T-Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata replied with a small smile.

"It's no problem Hinata-chan." he said with a bright smile.

Hinata simply returned the smile before the two continued their walk towards Tenten's house in silence. For some reason the two of them were the only pairing out of the three that could just walk beside each other in silence and never have to say anything. When Naruto was with Tenten it was always loud and they were always joking around and when Tenten was with Hinata she actually acted like a girl and gossiped. This was something Naruto could have lived without but he learned to keep his mouth shut after he whined and made some comments one time and reserved multiple kunai and shuriken in his legs from Tenten. So Naruto learned early that even the most 'tomboyish' girl was still a girl.

Even though Tenten was a year older then them she still spent most of her time with the two of them. This was the reason why Hinata was bored in there class. While Naruto had his apprenticeship with Anko, Hinata only had a tou-san who would shout things at her. So Tenten took it upon herself to see that Hinata learned everything she had been taught, making Hinata a year ahead of everyone in her class, save Naruto. Also, with constant exposer to Tenten and Naruto, Hinata found it very hard to not shout thing all the time, but that just wouldn't be proper.

As the two made it to their favorite weapons store they heard the familiar sounds of Tenten training in her back yard. As the two walked into the store they offered Emi, who was watching the store, a quick hello before walking through the home and out to the back yard.

"Stay here." Naruto whispered to Hinata with a smirk.

"Your g-going to scare her aren't y-you?" she asked nervously. Things like this never ended well, meaning that Naruto usually ended up looking like a pin cushion. Hinata only hoped that Tenten wasn't training with anything TO dangerous.

Walking out of the house slowly and as silently as he could, he made his way up to a panting Tenten as she leaned forward with her hands on her knees.

"HELLO TENTEN-CHAN!" Naruto yelled as loud as he could. He then laughed loudly as Tenten jumped about five feet in the air as she spun around to find Naruto laughing at her.

With a feral growl Tenten attacked the blond demon vessel.

"You bastard!" she shouted as she kicked him as hard as she could in the side while she kaa-san and Hinata snickered at her from the doorway and when Naruto seemed to ignore the kick, Tenten sat down on his chest and glared at him.

"H-Hello." said Naruto as he struggled to stop laughing while looking incredibly nervous.

Tenten then gave a smirk that Anko would have been jealous of before saying. "Eat dirt!"

"Eat wha..." started Naruto before Tenten shoved a large clump of dirt into his mouth. With that Naruto knocked Tenten off of him and began spitting up the dirt while Tenten, Hinata, and Emi all rolled on the ground as they laughed. "I can't believe you made me eat dirt!" he yelled.

"Y-You...ate...d-dirt!" shouted Tenten between gasps of breath.

"And here I brought Hinata-chan to visit you to tell you all about our first day and how do you repay me? You make me eat dirt!" shouted Naruto before he sat down and pouted.

"Well you s-shouldn't have scared her, N-Naruto-kun." Hinata replied with only a slight giggle as she walked over to the two and sat beside Naruto.

Tenten of course spent the next few minutes pointing and laughing at Naruto before she regained control over herself and sat up but with a wide smile that split her face in two. "So how was your f-first day?" she asked with one last giggle.

"I-It was boring u-until Naruto-kun got sent to the H-Hokage's office for fighting. T-That was pretty funny." Hinata answered with a fond smile.

"You got into a fight on the first day?!" shouted Emi from the doorway. "How proud was Anko?"

"Very. You would have thought that I signal handedly took over the world by the way she was smiling." Naruto said happily.

"So what did you do?" asked Tenten excitedly. From the constant exposer to Anko and Naruto, Tenten had learned to love a good fight.

"Well, Hinata-chan and I were being perfect angels while eating our lunch." Emi and Tenten snorted loudly at this part. "When all of a sudden that arrogant bastard Uchiha Sasuke walked up and demanded that I teach him the body flicker. I said no, mocked him a little, so he 'demanded' that I fight him. As he charged me I noticed that his taijutsu was academy standard at best so I poisoned him quickly and went back you my lunch with Hinata-chan." explained Naruto.

"T-Then two of Uchiha-san's fan girls told on h-him and he got sent to the H-Hokage's office." added Hinata while her eyes narrowed a bit at this but quickly softened to their usual doe eyed appearance.

"You poisoned him?!" shouted Tenten who sounded upset and awed by the fact.

"Yes." said Naruto nervously. He _really_ didn't want to eat anymore dirt.

"Aw man! I wish I could have seen that!" she whined while Hinata and Emi sweat dropped while Naruto sighed in relief.

"There wasn't much to see. I used my hidden needles to freeze him for a few hours. Although it was funny to hear all of his fan girls yell at me for 'spitting on their Sasuke-kun'." Naruto said while copying their shrill voice perfectly.

"They never even noticed your needles or the fact that you said 'Hidden Mouth Needles'?" asked Tenten in disbelief. She knew that Naruto was better then her and after they both started training with Hinata that even she was almost as good as she was but even at the age of six she had noticed Naruto's needles. Hinata started noticing them last year because that was when she was first hit by them and they were always the ones with the weakest poison he had. Nothing good would come from paralyzing your sparring partner for hours on end.

"Honey, they are only eight years old and a lot of them haven't had any form of training yet." Emi said to her daughter.

"Whatever." muttered Tenten.

Tenten was the kind of person who hated being judged by the fact she was female. She firmly believed that the fact that she was a girl had nothing to do with what kind of shinobi she was and one of the things that would set her off was snobby little fan girls who wanted to do their hair more then train. They gave every kunoichi a bad name and only furthered the stereotype that women had no business being shinobi. This was one of the reasons Tenten had no female friends her own age and why she hung out with Naruto and Hinata. Naruto, after being raised by Anko, believed that woman made very good shinobi. If he had believed any different then Anko and Kurenai would have probably killed him. Hinata, being female, believed like Tenten but also thought ahead a little more. While Tenten simply hated them for furthering a stereotype, Hinata thought ahead to possible missions and knew that if they were a weak link then they would most likely die and possibly take their teammates with them. So as a rule, when they trained with each other they held nothing back.

"Tenten-chan, you should wait a little while to see what kind of kunoichi they are going to be before you start hating them. You never know, they may turn out to be very good shinobi." offered Naruto weakly. He said this more to appease Tenten then anything. Personally he didn't see them changing but gave them the benefit of the doubt.

"You don't even believe that!" shouted Tenten as she glared at Naruto.

"I-Isn't judging someone you don't know w-what you hate, Tenten-chan?" asked Hinata softly.

Tenten sulked a little and muttered. "Yes."

"Then you should give them a chance. Besides, it was only the first day." Emi said as she stood, brushed herself off, and walked back into the house to watch the store she had left unattended.

"So what are you two up to?" asked Tenten. "Out on a date?"

"WHAT?!" shouted Naruto. "We're only eight years old!"

"B-Besides, Naruto-kun is like a nii-san(older brother) to me." stated Hinata while Tenten turned her head to hide the relived look on her face from Naruto but Hinata saw it and smiled slightly.

In Konohagakure it was common for younger children to find someone at a young age, even if nothing happened until they were teenagers. It was the price people paid for living in a shinobi village. Most people die at a very young age so children tend to grow up much faster then they normally would, mentally that is.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan is the annoying imouto(younger sister) I never had!" shouted Naruto.

Hinata clearly didn't find this funny. "Y-You are only two months o-older then I am."

"Two months is still two months." he said mockingly.

"D-Do you want to eat dirt a-again?" she threatened. This shut Naruto up so fast that the two girls couldn't help but laugh at the blond boy.

"That's not fair." Naruto said with pout.

"Well, how about we train for a little bit? That should take your mind off of the big bad dirt." joked Tenten.

Naruto choose to ignore the dirt comment but stood up and got ready to train none the less. "So what are we going to do today?" he asked.

"Well, since Hinata-chan and I haven't seen your taijutsu stance because your a stingy bastard. How about taijutsu spars?" asked Tenten.

Naruto debated this in his mind for a few moment before he sigh and said. "Fine. At least now I can get you back for that dirt."

"T-Then you two can go first." Hinata said softly as she moved to the side of the yard so that the two had more room to move around.

Since Tenten only ever used weapons she only ever learned the basic academy taijutsu style but from working with Anko she was very good at it. Naruto on the other hand used a style that only three people in the world knew, himself included. He moved into his stance which looked very off balance to Tenten and Hinata. All his weight was on his right foot as he placed his left foot lightly on the ground in front of him. His left arm was held loosely out in from of him and his right was bent along his waist; both hand were balled into fists except for his index and middles fingers, which were held straight out. Normally he would have chakra encasing then but in a friendly spar there was no need. Without chakra he could only poke the girls really hard but if he had channeled chakra then his fingers would have cut through their skin and organs like a hot knife through butter.

"What is THAT?!" asked Tenten as she looked at his off balance stance in confusion.

"This is 'Buyou no za Tsuin Hebi' or 'Dance of the Twin Snakes'. Normally I would have my fingers surrounded with chakra but that would mean that if I hit you then it could kill you and your much to cute to kill." explained Naruto with a bright smile.

"Whatever." said Tenten but she couldn't stop her cheeks from turning pink.

Hinata watched the two stare at each other while trying to force the other to make the next move. She knew that Naruto never made the first move because he didn't mind waiting and also that it messed with his opponent when he stood there smiling. He was truly a sadist. He loved messing with peoples minds to the point where they snapped and made a stupid move; then it would be his turn.

Tenten also knew all about Naruto's tendencies and decided that if she was going to have to attack then it should be on her terms and not because she lost it. She had lost to many fights to the blond boy that way. So with impressive speed she ran towards Naruto while completely composed. She never really thought about the reason that his stance was so off balance and that cost her. As she charge him, Naruto's left foot shot into the air with amazing speed. As his foot connected with Tenten's jaw he shifted onto his left foot with his right in front.

Tenten was knocked so hard by the kick that she flew a few feet back before landing on the ground with a hard thud. She then laid there sparing at the sky as she tried to work out what the hell had just happened. She then gave a light laugh as she lifted herself off of the ground and wiped the blood from her chin. "Well, that explains the stance." she said with a smirk.

One of the things Naruto loved about sparing with Tenten and Hinata was the fact that when they got hit they learned from it and came right back at you. They were a lot like Anko in that respect. On the very few times Naruto had managed to even hit Anko she would compliment him and come at him harder then ever. This made for an excellent work out.

"I guess it does." agreed Naruto with the same sadistic smirk that Anko wore most of the time.

Tenten sighed and moved back into her stance and added. "It was good but it wont work again."

"We'll see." Naruto said simply before Tenten charged him again.

This time when Naruto kicked she rolled to the side, only to have him bring his foot down on top of her. Luckily she was able to block the blow with her forearms as she held them crossed above her head. Smirking slightly Tenten kicked at Naruto's knee, knocking him off balance for a moment. What Tenten didn't know was that his style worked best when he was off balance. He collapsed on purpose so that he could get his right leg back. He then lunged forward and jabbed Tenten in the stomach before his momentum carried him past her. As he rolled away, Tenten held her stomach and gave a dry heave.

"I-I think Tenten-chan is done." Hinata said softly as she and Naruto moved to check on Tenten.

"I-I'm fine." she said shakily as she waved them off. "But damn that hurt."

"I'm sorry Tenten-chan. That is one of the reasons I never used it on you two. It is made to kill the opponent as quickly as possible and if Anko and I don't control it enough we could kill each other or our sparring partners. You are amazing with the academy style but there are many counters to it and everyone knows it. Hinata's 'Gentle Fist' could match mine pretty well but still it would depend on the users skill. Tenten-chan, you really need to find a style of taijutsu for when your weapons fail you." said Naruto almost pleadingly.

Normally Tenten would wave it off and ignore it but now, hearing Naruto's tone, she looked oddly thoughtful. "I'll talk to my kaa-san."

"Thank you." answered Naruto before turning to Hinata. "So Hyuuga, do you think you can match my awesome power?!" he shouted before laughing evilly.

Hinata quickly shut him up by closing a chakra point in his arm causing him to wince.

"That's not fair!" he whined as he reopened the point.

Depending on who you ask, Naruto made an excellent sparring partner for the shy Hyuuga. If you asked Hinata she would say it was so because he opened the points almost as quickly as she closed them so she didn't have to worry about hurting him. Naruto would disagree because it only meant that Hinata could close them more often when on a normal person she would stop once enough were closed.

"S-Shut up and fight y-you...you mean guy!" Hinata said with mock anger.

Naruto and Tenten both stopped and stared at the girl. Hinata barely had it in her to insult some one who deserved it and 'mean guy' was the best they had gotten out of her when it came to the two of them.

"Mean guy? That's it?" asked Tenten in disbelief.

Hinata blushed a deep shade of red and started stuttering horribly before she took a deep breath and said. "S-Sorry. You know I can't i-insult you two. I-I have enough trouble insulting others. Why do I have to do t-that anyway?"

"Because a shinobi isn't supposed to be as kind as you are. Hinata-chan, we love you like our long lost stuttering imouto but you have to learn that it's ok to hurt those that deserve it." answered Naruto gently.

"I-I'll try." she replied softly.

"Good, but for now we fight." Naruto said strongly as Tenten moved back and the two fights moved into their respective stances.

Since Hinata's 'Gentle Fist' was a close quarters taijutsu style the fight was nothing but the two palming and poking each other once she dodged his first kick. She made certain that she stayed up close to him and didn't give him a chance to jump back and kick. Every time he tried that she would jump with him, landing even closer then before.

Both girls knew Naruto was holding back against them and normally they would be mad but they knew that it wasn't because they were girls. It was because he was many times stronger then them with this style and in taijutsu all together. For the most part he was like a training log that would hit you back if you gave him an opening. In overall skill, Naruto beat them in every field but kenjutsu which Tenten dominated. He was far above them in ninjutsus, genjutsu, which wasn't a lot because his one beat their none, and taijutsu but he was always there to help you practice and with the kind of training they knew Anko put him through it didn't surprise them at all.

Finally, as Hinata thrust her palm towards Naruto, he dodged with a quick burst of speed and ended up at her side. He then gave her a quick jab in the side of the neck which caused her to fall forward only to have Naruto catch her.

"Good job, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said happily as he walked over and set Hinata down on the ground where Tenten was sitting before he sat down himself.

"You didn't tell me that I had done a good job." said Tenten with a pout.

"Yeah well Hinata-chan didn't make he eat dirt, now did she?" Naruto inquired while Tenten and Hinata began laughing again as the scene played in their minds once more. "Shut up."

The three spent many more hours talking about everything they could think of and finally it became very late and Hinata needed to get home. While her tou-san didn't seem to care about her anymore and gave all of his attention to Hinata's imouto, Hanabi, Hinata still had a self imposed curfew. Of course this led to many jokes about grounding herself if she were late to try and make Hinata smile or laugh.

"I'll walk you home Hinata-chan." stated Naruto as they walked out of Tenten's house after a quick goodbye to her parents.

"A-Alright." agreed Hinata.

As the two walked slowly towards the 'Hyuuga Compound', as Naruto called the Hyuuga sector of Konohagakure because it was more like a prison for Hinata then a home, Naruto and Hinata spoke quickly before lapsing into one of their silences.

Finally Naruto broke it by saying. "Hinata-chan, if you ever want to stay with Anko-nee-chan and I, I'm sure it would be fine with her."

"I-I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Thank you for worrying about me b-but I have to be strong. Y-You can't run away from your problems." she said softly and with a sad smile.

"Do you think that I ran away from my problems?" Naruto asked quietly.

"No. Y-Your problem seems to be Konohagakure as a whole. The only way you could run away from your problems would be to leave the village and never l-look back. Just because you and Anko-sempai live together and she adopted you has nothing to do with running away." reasoned Hinata.

Naruto gave her a smile before he chuckled and said. "You know Anko-nee-chan hates it when you call her 'sempai'. She says it makes her feel old. Although I don't get how a twenty year old feels old just because someone calls them 'sempai'."

"I know s-she does but it's what she is. Plus it's f-fun to tease her a little." Hinata admitted while Naruto snorted loudly at this.

"Maybe for you, but if I tease her she takes it out on me during 'training' which is really torture in disguise." he said.

"I-I sure it's not that bad."

"She once made me dodge kunai for six hours with a blindfold on and ear plugs in because I said she looked tired!"

"Ok, s-so maybe it is."

"You're damn right it is." said Naruto as they reached the gates to Hinata house. "Well here we are!"

"Thank you N-Naruto-kun." said Hinata softly as she hugged him tightly before running into her house.

"Good night you two." Naruto called to the guards as he walked away.

"Shut up, demon." sneered one of the guards while the one that never said anything just sighed. He neither liked nor hated Naruto and that suited Naruto just fine. The other guard was like the rest of the village and hated Naruto with every fiber of his being.

"I love you too, Guard-teme!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder as he ran away from the house. As he entered the forest around his home he decided that running through it would be nice tonight as it was a full moon and everything bathed in it's glow.

As he sped through the forest most of the smaller animals didn't pay any attention to him because they were used to seeing him and the larger ones watched him with ever vigilant eyes, just hoping that he would hurt himself or something would happen so that he would become open to an attack. They knew that Naruto could kill them so being the smart predators they were, they simply stayed back and watched.

Naruto entered the tower and raced up the stairs as fast as he could while pulling out his key encase Anko wasn't home or was already asleep. As he tried the door he found that it was unlocked so he walked into the apartment and stopped and stared with his mouth gaping at the scene before him. There on the couch in front of him was his nee-chan and Kurenai kissing each other with a heated passion that shocked Naruto. Neither had even registered the fact that he was in the room.

"Um... nee-chan?" he asked.

"Naru-chan!" shouted Anko as she jumped off of Kurenai as if she had been burned.

Both of the women blushed heavily while Naruto's mind struggled to keep up. "Y-You were making out." he said, officially stating the obvious.

"N-Naru-chan, it wasn't what it looked like." offered Anko lamely.

"Really, because it looked like you were making out." said Naruto dryly. "Look, it isn't any of my business and as long as you're both happy then I don't care but you should have at least went to your room, nee-chan."

"You really don't mind?" asked Kurenai because Anko seemed to embarrassed to talk at the moment.

"Not at all. Hell, when I'm older I might even appreciate it more. You two are every perverts dream come true." he said with a light laugh while the two blushed even more. "So how long has this been going on and does Ibiki know?"

"Yes Ibiki knows. He happened to be the one each of us went to for advise so he told us what the other had said and it went from there. As for how long, about a year." answered Kurenai.

"Well, I'm a little put out that you didn't tell me sooner and that I only found out because I caught you." Naruto said a little sadly.

"Naru-chan, I'm sorry. I wasn't sure how you would take it and I couldn't stand the idea of you being disgusted or hating me." Anko explained softly.

"It's ok, but you should know by now that I could never hate you. You found me and cared for me, even adopted me, plus you don't make me eat dirt." said Naruto darkly as he growled the last part. He then realized what he had said and groaned. "I'm going to my room."

"Not so fast. Why do you mean by making you eat dirt?" asked Anko.

Naruto's shoulders slumped as he walked over to the couch and sat down. "Can't I just go to bed?" he whined.

"No. This story sounds too good to let you go without telling us." Anko replied with her usual smirk.

"Fine. When Hinata-chan and I went over to Tenten-chan's house I thought it would be a good idea to sneak up on her and scare her. Well it turns out that Tenten-chan didn't share my view and tackled me and shoved a hunk of dirt into my mouth." he said quickly.

It took a few seconds before they registered what he had told them but once it did they both started laughing and clutching their sides.

"S-She made you eat dirt!" shouted Anko as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Yes, I know she did." Naruto replied wryly. He let them laugh for a few more minutes before he decided that they had had enough enjoyment from his embarrassing moment so he asked. "I can't help but wounder how much pictures of you two making out would sell for?"

At this the two women stopped laughing and looked at him fearfully.

"Relax, I wouldn't do that to you." Naruto assured them, he then looked at Kurenai and asked. "You aren't just using my nee-chan are you? You really do care about her, right?"

"No, I'm not just using her. Yes, I really do care about her and thank you for understanding." she answered.

"You don't have to thank me. I'd go along with almost anything as long as it makes nee-chan happy." he said calmly as he stood and started out of the room. "Good night you two."

"Good night, Naru-chan." Anko said absently. She was still trying to work through everything that had happened. She didn't want Naruto to find out like this but now that he had she felt relieved. The guilt had been pilling up ever since the relationship had started and now that it was gone she felt amazing. "Kurenai-chan?"

"Yes Anko-chan?"

"Would you like to stay the night?" she asked softly.

Kurenai could have sworn that Anko sounded shy but Mitarashi Anko never sounds shy. She must have been hearing things. "Yes I would."

With that the two walked back to Anko's room and crawled into bed and after a few more minutes of kissing they both fell asleep while a blond boy in the next room laid in front of a large fan and talked to something no boy would admit to having.

"Today has been very strange." he said quietly to his long since washed and repaired teddy bear before he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

"Naru-chan, wake up!"

Naruto rolled over in his bed and sighed. He was very tired still and didn't want to wake up but he knew his nee-chan and if he didn't there would be dire consequences.

Mitarashi Naruto sat up in his bed and stretched. At the age of twelve Naruto had grown to a height of five foot four inches and a weight of about one hundred fifty pounds. He had spent the last four years training hard with Anko and Ibiki so that he was fully capable when it came to torture and interrogation and most of the kids in his class stayed away from him because of that. Not that he minded, no, Naruto was content with having Hinata and Tenten as his friends and couldn't ask for more.

Over the past four years Naruto had worked side by side with Anko and Ibiki on two or three interrogations and found that he was quite good at them. His training with Anko would now be considered more of a spar then a teaching session because Anko had finished her teachings when she allowed him to sign the summoning contract for snakes. He was now just under her in his mastery of his skills but he knew he would most likely never catch her because as they sparred they both got better so there was always that gap between them that showed that she was the mistress and he was the student.

Thinking back to his friends Naruto couldn't help but smile. Hinata had finally lost her stutter and was as confident in her skills as either Naruto or Tenten. She had allowed her hair to grow out and it now reached just past her shoulders. Naruto also noticed that as she grew she became even more beautiful and now bared a striking resemblance to her kaa-san. Her style of clothing had stayed the same with her bulky jacket and a pair of dark indigo pants. When Tenten asked why she hide behind her clothing she said it was because she didn't want people gawking at her. Of course this was said with a blush. No matter how confident Hinata got she was still very kind and shy but now if someone made her mad enough, she would beat them to a pulp. Luckily it took a lot to anger the kind girl.

Tenten had also grown more and more beautiful as the years past and Naruto couldn't help but notice how puberty was affecting her. She, like the other two, kept her same style of clothing and also the same hair style. She had taken Naruto's words to heart and began learning her families taijutsu style. Naruto couldn't help but laugh when he remembered the look on his friends face when her kaa-san told her that her side of the family had their own style. Ironically it was based on making ones body into a weapon by molding their chakra through their limbs. So as long as Tenten had chakra and her arms and legs, she had a weapon. The fact that she had graduated the year before and was now under the tutelage of a taijutsu freak named Might Guy only helped refine her style even more. Tenten had introduced them to her team one time and Naruto and Hinata knew that they would never forget that day. Her two other teammates were Rock Lee, a very nice boy with an ugly bowl shaped hair cut and huge fuzzy eyebrows, and Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's itoko(cousin). This guy was an asshole in every sense of the word and took pleasure in degrading others. Tenten thought he was a jerk and had a fun time making fun of him. Lee, like Guy, wore a hideous green, nearly skintight, training suit that made even Anko want to run away screaming. Most people though, were able to look passed this because they were both very nice people, if a little strange. The weirdest thing about it was that they were even louder then Naruto when they worked themselves up, and by a very large margin.

The last four years at the academy were as exciting as watching two snails play chicken for Hinata and Naruto. Naruto was at the top of his class with Hinata in a very close second. This fact seemed to piss off Sasuke and his two harpies Ino and Sakura to no end. Sasuke had lost his entire family when the group turned nine. His own nii-san had slaughtered everyone, only leaving Sasuke alive but so messed up that even Anko was slightly worried about him. This sympathy was short lived as Naruto had attempted to make friends with the boy after he had returned to the academy but the boy sneered and spat at his offer. He clearly didn't want any friends or pity. Naruto also couldn't believe how the village reacted, it was like their precious Uchiha could do no wrong. This was the reason both Anko and Naruto stopped caring. They had both suffered worse then he had and they were still treated as pariahs. Sasuke's only goal in life was to kill his nii-san and resurrect his lost clan, while Ino's and Sakura's dream seemed to be that they would be one to help with that.

"Are you up yet?" asked Anko as she opened his door to find him sitting on his bed in nothing but his boxers. "Nice, Naru-chan. Maybe I should call Tenten over and see if she would help _get you up_?"

Naruto was awake enough to work through what she had said so with a groan and a deep blush he said. "Shut up, nee-chan. How many times do I have to tell you that Tenten-chan and I are just friends... and stop calling me 'Naru-chan'!"

"You keep telling yourself that but everyone around you knows the truth." she stated before leaving the room.

It was true. Naruto was head over heels for his brown haired best friend and he and everyone else, aside from Tenten herself, seemed to know it. Oddly enough the same was true for Tenten. She and everyone else knew that she liked Naruto but him and most of their adult friends just enjoyed watching the two fumble around each other.

With one last sigh, Naruto got out of bed and walked across the hall to the bathroom where he took a quick shower and got dressed. He then walked into the kitchen to find Kurenai and Anko sitting at the kitchen table eating their breakfast.

After finding out that Naruto was fine with the two of them being together it didn't take to long before Kurenai moved in with them. It was soon after that that they decided to make their relationship public, much to the disappointment and utter joy of the villages men. The perverts were being perverts so any attractive lesbian couple was a joy to have around while the semi-perverts and non-perverts were disappointed that two of the most attractive women in the village were, in fact, attracted to each other. Most of the women and older people of the village were disgusted with them but a few were just happy that they seemed happy. Of course nothing but glares were given to them because Anko and Kurenai were not to be taken lightly and Naruto was very well known for killing any person he heard speaking bad about the two, but it took quite a bit to reach that point with him. Luckily for the villagers and shinobi of Konohagakure, word of Naruto's reaction to anyone speaking ill of his nee-chan and her lover spread like wildfire so people quickly learned to hold their tongue around him. Mostly the couple just ignored everyone and went about their business.

"So, are you excited about the exam?" asked Kurenai as Naruto dropped down into a seat across from them.

_Oh yeah, the Genin exam is today. _Smiling, Naruto answered. "Very, I know we will get nothing but crap missions like Tenten-chan did but anything is better then the academy. Iruka-sensei is great and all but most of the time I'm pleading with Hinata-chan to kill me."

"Speaking of Hinata. Have you noticed the shy little looks she sends to a certain stoic insect loving boy?" asked Anko.

"Who hasn't?" replied Naruto. "Even I can see that those two like each other and are just too dense to realize it themselves or too embarrassed in Hinata-chan's case."

Anko and Kurenai snorted loudly at this. Naruto saying that someone else was dense when it came to relationships was pretty funny to them.

"Shut up. I know that I like Tenten-chan but she doesn't like me." he said sadly.

"Naruto, you are a fool." said Kurenai with a fond smile. "And we don't know yet if Shino returns her feelings. That boy is too damn hard to read."

"Oh and if you don't pass then you will still be my apprentice for the next year and I really don't think you want that." Anko threated with her usual smirk and gleam in her eyes. What ever she had planed would promise pain if nothing else.

"Oh I'll pass all right. You two are looking at this years 'Rookie of the Year', not that I give a damn about that stupid title. Neji was last years and he is the biggest prick I've ever met. I told Tenten-chan and Hinata-chan that I think he holds the world record for largest stick to ever fit up someones ass but until I can prove it they won't believe me and I really don't want to be in the position where I _could_ prove it." said Naruto while Anko and Kurenai laughed as he shuddered at the last part.

They both knew of Neji because Guy had been one of the first ones to congratulate them on being open with their relationship. He spent hours shouting about their 'flames of youth' and about the 'powers of youthfulness'. He had brought his team with him and it seemed that Neji was one of the few young men in the village who looked down on their relationship. Tenten and Lee, on the other hand, were happy for them. Tenten had known about it much longer then the rest of the village because she was Naruto's friend. Lee was a mini-Guy so he shouted the same stuff Guy did before the two started crying and hugging. That was when Anko and Kurenai decided to leave them. Anko might be a crazy sadist but Guy and Lee were just plain crazy but had a much nicer disposition then she did.

"I'm sure you'll do great. What team are you hoping to be on?" Kurenai inquired.

"Well I am hoping to have you as a sensei since you became a Jounin sensei this year. For teammates I want Shino and Hinata-chan. We would make a very good scouting team." he said with a little excitement.

Kurenai was certainly happy that he wanted to be on her team and a little surprised that he had figured out that she would be given a scouting team but she was curious as to his reasoning as to why he should be on the team. "Why should a torture and interrogation specialist be on a scouting team?" she asked while Anko looked curious as well.

Naruto stopped eating and explained. "The way I see it is that the team would have been Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. I personally think that this is a team that is _too_ specified. If something were to happen the team would be in danger. Also, having a torture and interrogation specialist is a bonus for a scouting team because we could pick off an enemy shinobi and I could get info from them without our having to go too far into enemy territory. I have also been working with Anko-nee-chan for years and I am as good a tracker as anyone in my class. I also have my snake summons that wouldn't look out of place anywhere in the Elemental Countries. I know that it is a long shot for me to get the team I want but I can hope."

Anko and Kurenai were both speechless by his reasoning and wondered why scouting team weren't set up like this to begin with. One reason they both knew was because Naruto would be one of only three interrogation specialists in Konohagakure. Very few people wanted the job and fewer still were any good at it. Anko made a mental note to speak to the Hokage about this. Kurenai decided to do the same because she, like may other scouting specialists, had lost her team on a mission where they met heavy resistance and didn't have the raw power needed to fight their way out and what Naruto said offered them a way to rectify this problem to a certain extent.

"Well, I had better get going before Hinata-chan decides to kill me because I made her suffer without me." stated Naruto as he stood and gave both of the women a quick hug before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Anko had finally taught him the Konohagakure version of the body flicker and he was so happy she had. He had spent hours thanking her because apparently leaves were a lot better then a cloud of smoke.

Like every time before, Naruto appeared in the middle of the class. By now, no one even looked up at him and Hinata just smiled brightly at him from her usual seat. "Good morning Hinata-chan!" he called as he walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, how are you?" she asked softly.

"I'm great. Kurenai and Anko-nee-chan finally managed to wake me up and Anko-nee-chan threatened me if I failed." he answered. "You?"

"The usual. My tou-san sneered at me, my imouto glared at me, and Neji told me I'm useless and will only be a burden to my team _if_ I were to pass." she answered. Her family hadn't changed one bit over the last few years and now Hanabi started in on her as well. It seemed that no matter how strong she got it was never good enough for any of them except a few branch house members.

The Hyuuga Clan was broken into the main house, which was the Clan Head and the possible heirs or heiress, and the branch house which was everyone else. The two houses hated each other and Hinata seemed to be the only one that was on good terms with anyone in the branch house. Naruto and Tenten were horrified when Hinata had told them about the caged bird seal that was placed on every branch member. The seal was used to seal that persons blood limit should an enemy get a hold of their body. It could also be used by the main house to punish them. Once the curse was activated it caused the person blinding pain in their heads and could kill them if it was left active for too long.

"Why don't you just beat your imouto and show them that you aren't worthless?" asked Naruto for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I won't fight my imouto just so my tou-san will be happy. If I beat her he might start treating her the way he does me." she reasoned.

"But now she is growing up to be a cruel and arrogant person. Which is really better?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto-kun, please." she said softly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's just a hard choice to make."

"I know all about hard times and choices Hinata-chan. You know that." he said calmly.

"I know you do." Hinata admitted. "So, did you dream about Tenten-chan last night?" she asked with a slight smirk.

"How did you kno... SHUT UP!" he shouted as his face turned red. "Did you have one about Shino-kun?" he said quietly and in a mocking tone.

"S-Shut up." Hinata stuttered as her own face turned red.

"Truce?" he offered.

"Deal." Hinata said quickly.

After this the two fell into a silence before Naruto had to say something. "I can't believe you like Shino."

Hinata growled and smacked him up side the head. "Shut up or I tell Tenten-chan that you said she was fat."

Naruto paled and his eyes went wide. "H-Hey now, there's no need for that. Oh and have I told you how beautiful you look today?" he said nervously.

"That's what I thought." Hinata said smug tone.

"Of course I could just tell Shino that you were smashing bugs in the forest yesterday while cackling madly." Naruto stated off handedly.

"Please don't!" begged Hinata.

Shino was from the Aburame Clan and they were basically living hosts for their insects. When they are born they offer their bodies as a hive and allow them to feed off their chakra. In return they gain control over the bugs, thus making them the only bug using clan in Konohagakure. Shino was something of a clan prodigy and hated it when people smashed bugs for no reason and if Naruto were to tell him that Hinata did that then he would most likely never speak to her again.

"Relax. I wouldn't do that to you. Now, who do you want on your team?" he asked.

"I would like to have you and... um..." she said shyly.

"I know. That is actually that team I'm hoping for." he said.

"Really?"

"Yes really. You know why I want you on my team and Shino is strong and will make a very good shinobi." he reasoned before a slight smirk began forming over his calm expression. "He is also the least likely to annoy me. I'd hate to have to poison my teammate every single time they open their mouth and said something stupid."

Anything else they planed on saying was cut off as Iruka walked into the room and the would be shinobi fell into a nervous silence.

"Today will be the Genin exams. If you pass you will leave the academy and begin your work as a shinobi of Konohagakure. If you fail... well just don't fail. This test will be divided into two parts. The first will be a written test to show your knowledge of various shinobi terms and situations. The second will be for you to show us, Mizuki-sensei and I, the academy jutsus that you learned. They of course are: Bunshin, Kawarimi, Henge. If you were to pass the written test and do two out of the three jutsus then you will still pass but failing any two will result in you failing. Now, I will hand out the written test. After you are done you may take your lunch break and when everyone is done and has had enough time to eat, I will call you one at a time into the room to show us your jutsus. You may want to practice a little during lunch and Naruto, please don't poison the class again." Iruka said while the class snickered at the last part. It had become all to common for the class to come back from lunch sick or unable to use certain parts of their bodies.

"Fine. Ruin all my fun." said Naruto with a pout while Iruka slammed his paper down in front of him and smiled.

"Good luck all of you and begin." Iruka called out as he walked back to his desk.

Naruto flipped his test over and began reading the questions. _Oh I am going to be so happy when I get out of here! _He thought as he began filling in the answers to the beyond simple test. Yes it could have been hard if he hadn't had Anko drilling everything into his head at a young age but the fact of the matter was that he did. It wasn't even five minutes when Naruto began reading back through his completed test to make sure he hadn't missed one. Once he was done proof reading his test he stood and walked down to Iruka.

"Here you go." he said as he laid the paper in front of him.

Iruka looked startled for a moment before he saw that it was Naruto. "I should have known it was you. How was it?"

"Iruka-sensei, I've told you before. You are a great teacher. I'm not trying to make you look bad by passing everything. I'm just used to Anko-nee-chan's way of teaching. The people who didn't have my kind of training this test will be hard, as it should be, but you have taught us everything we needed to know." Naruto said reassuringly.

Iruka sighed and nodded. He always felt nervous when his students took this test because if he didn't teach them well then they could be killed. This was one of the major draw backs of being a teacher at this kind of academy.

"I'll be outside poisoning everyones food." joked Naruto as he walked out of the class while grabbing his and Hinata's lunches and walking over to the tree they always sat under. He didn't have to wait long before Hinata came outside with Sakura, Ino, and Sasuke trailing behind her. The later walked off somewhere while the other two followed him. It was a little sad to note that Tenten had been right about those two. If anything the beginnings of puberty had made them even worse when it came to 'their Sasuke-kun'.

"I'm glad that's over." said Hinata as she sat down and took her lunch from Naruto.

"You didn't have trouble did you?" asked Naruto.

"None at all but I was still very nervous. I kept thinking about failing." she admitted as they began to eat.

"You shouldn't worry so much. You're a great shinobi and once we pass this test you can prove it to everyone else." he stated calmly.

"Well if you would worry more then maybe I wouldn't have to!" she shouted.

"True, but that's not likely to happen." admitted Naruto with a fox like grin. "Do you ever find our friendship odd?"

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

Naruto laid back and rested his head on a tree root before answering. "Well I mean you, Tenten-chan, and I. You are the shy, quiet heiress of this villages most respected clan. I am a demon vessel and hated by almost all of this village and my nee-chan is just as bad as I am. Tenten-chan is a weapons expert that would rather pump you full of shuriken and kunai then listen to you whine. We have to be the weirdest group of friends in the village and yet we have never fought in the eight years we've known each other. Normally I would say that as a group we even each other out but that doesn't work in our case because we get along fine even if it is just two of us."

"I used to wonder about that." she said calmly.

"Did you ever find an answer?" Naruto asked.

"Nope. Well, not one that you are searching for; I decided that it didn't matter. One day when we were all just laying around in some random clearing we had found, I came up with my answer. I was going to enjoy it while it lasted and hope that it lasts forever. I don't need reasons why I like being around the two of you, I know I do and that's good enough for me. Now if you asked why I like Shino-kun then I could give you millions of reasons." she stated with a small grin.

"I bet you could." Naruto then gave a short laugh. "But I'm the same way about Tenten-chan, I guess. I know I like her but I don't know if I'll ever have the nerve to tell her."

"It's odd hearing you say that. Normally you would say anything to anyone consequences be damned, but now you can't tell a girl you and I have been best friends with for eight years that you like her." she said softly as she found another root and laid back like Naruto had.

"Making fun of the Hokage is one thing. Teasing Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai is one thing. Telling a girl that you like her is an entirely different thing." commented Naruto while Hinata just shook her head.

The two stayed like this until Iruka began calling names. One by one students were called back into the room and one by one they came out smiling while holding their hitai-ate tightly in their hand.

"Hyuuga Hinata." Iruka called.

"Wish me luck." Hinata muttered as she stood and brushed herself off.

"Like you need it." replied Naruto with a bright smile.

Hinata smiled at him and 'accidentally' kicked him in the side as she walk past him on her way back into the room.

"Not fair!" Naruto shouted only to reserve a rude finger gesture in return. This of course made Naruto laughed loudly as he turned to watch the clouds again. Hinata could be so different yet still so much the same as she was all those years ago.

It was only a few minutes before Hinata came barreling out of the room and back towards Naruto, who she jumped on as soon as she made it. "I did it!" she shouted as she continued to jump on Naruto.

"Ok, ok, please stop jumping on me!" he yelled.

"Oh... sorry." she said sheepishly as she sat down beside him.

"It's no problem. Oh, and great job Hinata-chan!" he replied brightly.

"I'm so happy!" she cried as she looked like she wanted to start jumping on him again.

"That's fine. You be happy all you want as long as you don't jump on me." he teased.

"Mitarashi Naruto." Iruka called.

"My turn." he said as he got to his feet and messed up Hinata's hair before running way from the now angry Hyuuga.

"I'll get you!" they heard as the door to the room closed.

"Um... do you mind if I stay here for a few hours?" Naruto asked nervously while watching the door.

"Yes we do. Besides, you probably deserve whatever it is she is going to do to you." Iruka said with a smile.

"I'm hurt. What have I ever done that would make you think such a thing?" he asked.

"To many to list right now. Please show us the jutsus."

"Sure thing." Naruto said happily.

In quick secession, Naruto showed them every jutsu they wanted to see.

"Alright Naruto. You pass." stated Iruka before he grabbed a headband and threw it to the blond demon vessel.

"Thanks for everything Iruka-sensei!" he called out as he ran from the room and straight into a still angry Hinata. "H-Hello Hinata-chan. Don't you look wonderful." he said nervously as Hinata slowly advanced on him.

"I told you I would get you Naruto-kun and now I will." she said softly but Naruto knew that it wasn't her usual soft tone of voice.

"Please don't kill me! I'll let you mess up my hair!" he offered.

Hinata paused at this. Naruto hated when people messed up his hair because it was now down to his waist and very hard to get untangled. This was a chance she couldn't pass up. "Deal."

Sighing Naruto pulled out his ponytail and sat down on the ground in front of Hinata. With child like glee, Hinata began to mess up Naruto's hair to the best of her ability, which, as it turns out, is pretty good. By the end of it Naruto and Hinata both looked like fools before they began brushing their hair straight again. This act took up the remainder of the test and as Hinata put Naruto's hair back into a ponytail Iruka dismissed them with instructions to be back there tomorrow morning at eight to get put into their teams and to meet their new sensei.

"Naruto, can I see you for a moment?" asked their other instructor, Mizuki.

"Sure. Hinata-chan can you go on without me?" he asked.

"No problem. Bye." she said before hugging him tightly before running of to her house.

Once she was gone Naruto turned back to Mizuki and asked. "What can I do for you, Mizuki-sensei?"

"I know that you are at the top of your class and I am supposed to ask you if you want to take an extra test." Mizuki explained.

_There are no other tests, Kurenai or nee-chan would have told me. I wonder what he's playing at. _Thought Naruto before saying. "I would love to."

"Good. Now here is what you do..." said Mizuki as he began explaining to Naruto the goal and rules of the 'test'.

"I can to that. When should I start?" Naruto asked while inside he was shouting traitor at the man.

"You can start when ever you want but it has to be done by tonight." Mizuki said before disappearing with a slight smirk on his face. _That demon brat will do all the work and then I'll get the rewards! _He thought.

As soon as the man was gone Naruto dropped his fake smile and a angry look spread over his face. Naruto might not have liked most of the villagers but Konohagakure was still his home and he hated traitors more then the villagers. With one last glare at the spot where Mizuki had been standing Naruto disappeared and reappeared in front of the Hokage and a large group of Jounins which included Kurenai. _They must be getting ready to pick their teams. _Naruto thought.

"Can I help you Naruto?" asked the Hokage calmly while some of the Jounins sneered at the 'demon'.

"Yes. I have to talk to you about something." Naruto said firmly.

"Can it wait?" asked the Third Hokage.

"No. It's far more important then picking Genin teams." said Naruto.

"What would you know you little shit?" snapped one of the Jounins.

"I know that if you speak to him like that again you will die." said Kurenai darkly.

This seemed to shut up any Jounin who seemed to have problem. Standing slowly, the Hokage walked with Naruto into a side room. "What is it?" asked the Hokage. He knew that Naruto never messed around when it came to important matters and if he said something was important then it was.

"Mizuki approached me after the exam and asked if I wanted to take a 'special test'." Naruto said calmly.

"And what is this 'special test'?"

"He wants me to steal the Scroll of Seals from you. My guess is that he wants to steal it from me and flee the village. I wanted to tell you so you knew why I 'stole' it." Naruto explained.

"So you are going to steal it." stated the Hokage calmly.

"Well yeah. I can learn some cool new jutsus while I'm waiting for Mizuki to show up. After I get rid of him then I'll bring it back. You know that if you tried to stop him now it would be his word against mine and you know who they would believe." Naruto said softly.

The Hokage closed his eyes and sighed. He did know who everyone would believe. Most everyone in the village would take Mizuki's side simply because the 'demon' must be lying. He on the other hand trusted Naruto with his life. "I'll agree to this but I must forbid you from reading anything in that scroll about your seal. It would take a seal master to understand it and you might do something just by reading it. Please follow this one rule, Naruto."

"I will, jii-san. Can you get it for me?" Naruto asked.

The Hokage simply reached behind him and seemed to take a random scroll off of a large pile of nameless scrolls. "This is the scroll." he said as he handed Naruto the scroll.

Naruto looked at it and snorted with laughed. "Who puts 'The Forbidden Scroll' on the front of a scroll of unimaginable power? Did the creator _want_ people to try and steal it?"

"My senseis had a very odd sense of humor." said the Hokage with a sigh.

"Thanks, jii-san." said Naruto before he disappeared with the scroll and reappeared the middle of a clearing in the woods to the east of the village. Naruto sat down against a tree and began to read.

As the Hokage walked out of the room alone the Jounins looked at him questioningly. "Don't worry about it. Young Naruto was just bringing something important to my attention. Now then, who has first pick?" he asked.

"I do." said Kurenai happily. She got to pick her entire team first because she had beaten the other Jounin senseis at poker the night before. Contrary to popular opinion, teams were not selected by some highly advanced system. Most of the time the Jounins sat around playing cards while thinking of which of the available graduates would give them the least amount of headaches or which were the least likely to try and kill each other.

"So who do you want?" asked the Hokage.

"I want Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Mitarashi Naruto." she stated while most of the group looked confused.

"It is obviously a scouting team but Mitarashi threw everything off. Why him?" asked a large, muscular Jounin named Asuma. The lit cigarette hanging from his lips defied all logic by not falling as he spoke.

"Naruto told me this morning that he wanted to be on my team with Hinata and Shino. I, like the rest of you, was confused until I heard his reasoning. He told me that a team that is too specified, like our scout teams, have a history of being easily beaten. If you were to add more power to the team, in this case Naruto, then they would have a better chance of getting out of a fight alive. He also brought up his field of work. He told me that a torture and interrogation specialist would do very well on a scout team because if they came across a enemy shinobi then they might get the info they needed without having to go dangerously far into enemy territory. I had to ask myself how someone who had not even graduated from the academy thought of this when no one else could. Plus, he is at the top of his class in every field including tracking and stealth. He can also summon snakes which he told me could be used as a means of gathering info. As I said. I want Naruto, Shino, and Hinata." she explained while most of the Jounins looked put out that Konohagakure's 'demon brat' had thought of something like this when they never did.

"Alright. Team 8 will be Mitarashi Naruto, Kami help you, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino under Yuuhi Kurenai." said the Hokage while Kurenai laughed a little at the 'Kami help you' part.

"I want Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura." stated a lazy looking gray haired Jounin.

"Team 7 will be Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Inuzuka Kiba under Hatake Kakashi." said the third as he wrote the team down in a large scroll like he had done with Kurenai's team.

"I'll take the Ino-Shika-Cho team." said Asuma.

"Team 10 is going to be Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru under Sarutobi Asuma." said the Third Hokage. This went on until everyone was picked.

Once it got dark the Hokage called for every shinobi in the village to search for Naruto because he had 'stolen' the Scroll of Seals. He also held Anko and Kurenai back to explain what was really going on.

"Thank you for telling me, Hokage-sama. Now I'll only hurt him instead of killing him." said Anko as she and Kurenai went off to pretend to look for Naruto.

_Naruto, you idiot, where are you? _Iruka asked himself as he ran through the woods looking for his favorite student. Finally, Iruka found Naruto as the side of a clearing, panting from exhaustion with the scroll tied to his back. "I found you!" he shouted causing Naruto to jump.

"I guess you did." he said with a nervous laugh. He hadn't been planing on someone else finding him before Mizuki did. "Well that's ok. Now I can show you my new move and I'll pass this test." he said while using the lie he had been told.

"What do you mean 'test'?" asked Iruka.

"Mizuki-sensei told me that if I stole this scroll and could learn one move from it then I would pass the extra test." explained Naruto.

_That's why he looked exhausted. Has he been training the whole time? _Iruka thought before his eyes widened and he pushed Naruto out of the way as a hail of kunai rained down upon him.

"Give me the scroll Naruto." ordered Mizuki as he stood tall on a branch of a nearby tree.

"Why did you do that to Iruka-sensei?" asked Naruto as he played innocent.

"Naruto! Mizuki tricked you into stealing the scroll. Don't give it to him no matter what!" shouted Iruka as he sank down the side of a small shack he had been leaning on.

"Naruto, there is no point in you having it. If you hand it over I'll tel you the truth about who you are." offered Mizuki with a smirk.

It was then that Iruka caught on to Naruto's little game. There was a reason, of course, why he had been selected among his peers to work as an academy instructor. There was also the fact that he had known the young blond for many years and had learned how to read the young man so that he knew when to expect one of his pranks.

"No! You can't!" he shouted as he played his part.

"The truth? What are you talking about?" demanded Naruto.

"Stop it Mizuki! You know it's forbidden!" shouted Iruka while inside he was laughing his ass off while wondering what Naruto had planed.

"I truth is, is that you are in fact, the nine-tailed fox that attacked Konohagakure twelve years ago!" he said darkly.

Naruto then let lose a blood curdling scream as he sank to his knees and pounded his fist into the ground. "WHY?!" he shouted in a long drawn out breath.

Iruka was trying very hard not to laugh as Naruto over acted. "Naruto, that was horrible." he said calmly.

Naruto suddenly stopped screaming and looked at Iruka and smiled. "Really? I thought that I would go for the dramatic approach."

"No, it was defiantly way over the top." said Iruka with mock sadness.

"What is going on here?!" yelled Mizuki.

"I knew you were a traitor since you asked me to take the test. I told the Hokage and he let me play my little game and as for the fox? I've known about him since I was six years old. Now, come down here so I can kill you." said Naruto calmly.

Mizuki gave twisted smirk before he said. "Like you could kill me! I'll kill you both and take the scroll anyway!"

"Whatever." said Naruto calmly as Mizuki jumped down from the tree and unhooked a fuma shuriken from his back.

Naruto held is fingers in front of his face in a cross shape and said. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."(Shadow Clone Technique) Then suddenly Mizuki was surrounded by five Narutos.

_He mastered a B-rank jutsu that most Jounin can't use in a matter of hours! _Thought Iruka as he watched in awe as the clones and Naruto began forming more hand seals.

"Sen'eijashu!" they cried as three snakes shot out of each of their sleeves and sank their fangs into Mizuki.

Getting bit by thirty highly poisonous snakes and all Mizuki could do was make a slightly anti-climactic grunting sound before he fell over died.

With their job done the clones and snakes disappeared and the real Naruto walked over to Iruka and helped him to his feet. "Come on Iruka-sensei. Lets get you to the hospital and after that I can get killed by Anko-nee-chan for not telling her about my plan before hand."

"Poor kid." said Iruka as he and Naruto walked back towards the village while talking about how they thought Anko was going to kill him.

After Naruto dropped Iruka off at the hospital he used the body flicker to appear in the Hokage's office with the scroll. "Here you go, jii-san." he said as he handed over the scroll "This might be wishful thinking but you didn't tell Anko-nee-chan about this did you?"

"Yes, he did." said a voice from behind him.

"Nee-chan!" said Naruto happily while forgetting why he had been afraid. "I passed and I'm a shoe in for 'Rookie of the Year' and Hinata-chan passed as well. I even killed that traitor... Mi... zu... ki..." he added slowly as he finally remembered why he didn't want Anko to know.

"Oh I know all about that little stunt." she growled. She gave the Hokage a curt nod before grabbing Naruto and disappearing only to reappear outside their front door. She threw open the door and forced Naruto into the room where Kurenai was sitting and her face made it clear that she was just as mad as Anko was.

"Please don't hurt me! I still haven't told Tenten-chan that I love her!" he pleaded as Anko threw him roughly into a chair as she and Kurenai stood in front of him.

"Oh, we aren't going to kill you." said Anko with a wicked grin.

"We are going to hurt you badly but not kill you." added Kurenai.

"B-But..." started Naruto before Anko cut him off.

"How dare you do something like that without telling me?!" she shouted. "Did you know what it felt like to hear that you had stolen a forbidden scroll? I thought you had ran away. I thought you would be killed by the council. I though you had left me!"

For the first time in a long time Naruto saw tears in his nee-chan's eyes and the reality of what he had done finally sank in. As if a giant weight had been dropped on him, his shoulders and head sank. He couldn't even stand to look at her he felt so bad.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly.

"You damn well better be!" she yelled as she wiped the tears from her cheeks roughly.

"Would it help if I taught you the two jutsus I learned?" he offered weakly.

"It might." Anko said a the corners of her mouth twitched.

"I learned the 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' and the 'Bunshin Daibakuha'(Clone Great Explosion)." said Naruto, who still sounded very upset with himself.

"You learned them in one afternoon?!" shouted Kurenai while at the same time Anko shouted. "I love you!" Before she pulled Naruto into a tight hug.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked softly.

"If you teach me those two moves then yes, all is forgiven." said Anko cooed lovingly as she gently ran a hand over his head, petting him as if he were a dog. The only people who know how to use shadow clones were the Hokages and their students. This meant that the Third Hokage, the Densetsu no Sannin(Legendary Three Shinobi), and Hatake Kakashi were the only ones alive, besides Naruto, to know this move and none of them would teach anyone. Also, an exploding shadow clone sounded way to cool for her to pass up.

Kurenai just sighed and shook her head. Before she had gotten her hands on Naruto, Anko was thinking up many ways to punish him without killing him and now she was holding him tightly with just a promise to teach her two new jutsus. "I said it before and I'll say it again. You two deserve each other." she muttered to were Anko and Naruto couldn't hear her.

"So did you use them tonight?" asked Anko.

"I used the 'Kage Bunshin' with the 'Sen'eijashu'. It was so cool! I had four clones so I attacked with thirty snakes!" he answered excitedly. "But one of the best things about shadow clones is that what ever they learn gets transferred to you once they disappear. This would make scouting even easier!"

"And think of the training you could do if you created some clones and fought them. You would increase your proficiency in leaps and bounds!" said Anko who seemed just as excited.

Kurenai was also excited by now when she remembered that Naruto and all of his clones were on her team. "This is going to be great!" she said out loud.

"Um...why are you so excited? Do you want to learn it too?" asked Naruto with a smile.

"No that's ok. I was just thinking about something else." she said quickly.

That night Anko wouldn't let Naruto or Kurenai rest until she had mastered 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' and 'Bunshin Daibakuha'. She found that she could only make a maximum of five clones of either kind while Naruto could make thirty without breaking a sweat. This didn't really bother her because when they sparred it would only help her and her chakra capacity. Finally at around two in the morning, Anko let them go to bed. She promised Naruto that she would get him up in the morning while Kurenai muttered something like 'it doesn't matter if he's there if I'm still asleep'.

Later that morning it was actually Naruto who woke up first. Once he had taken his shower and got dressed he went into Anko's room to wake her and Kurenai up. Now, he was used to seeing the two in different states of undress but seeing them mostly naked while holding each other was enough for even Naruto's nose to bleed a little. Once he cleaned that up he walked over to the bed and gently shook Kurenai who was the closest to him.

"Hey, you two need to get up." he stated calmly.

"Alright." she said sleepily as she started to wake up Anko while Naruto left them alone in the room.

The next thing that happened scared Naruto far more then he was willing to admit. With a loud bang, a familiar brown haired kunoichi kicked in the door and immediately leapt on Naruto as soon as she caught sight of him.

"Why didn't you tell me you passed?!" shouted Tenten.

The shock was enough to erase all traces of sleep from his system as he was now wide awake. "I'm sorry Tenten-chan. After I passed I had something I had to do. Please forgive me." Naruto said softly.

Tenten then realized that she was straddling the object of her affection and with a deep blush she jumped to her feet and said. "Of course I'll forgive you."

"That as just cute enough to make me forget that you kicked in my door." stated Anko as she and Kurenai walked past them and into the kitchen.

"Sorry about that." said Tenten sheepishly.

"It's ok. Naru-chan, breakfast will be in a little bit and Tenten, you're more then welcome to stay." said Anko as she began cooking the food Kurenai handed her.

"Come on." Tenten said happily as she grabbed Naruto by the hand and dragged him back to his room.

After staying in Anko's room for almost a year. She finally set Naruto up in one of the extra rooms. The room was filled with scrolls, different personal affects, a large bed, a dresser, and a very large fan. But if you asked Tenten the best part was his bear Kuma-chan. Tenten loved this bear and loved it even more once Naruto told her and Hinata the story behind it. She also heard the story about Kuma-chan being Naruto's top adviser once he became Hokage from Anko, who seemed to enjoy telling embarrassing stories to people they knew, and in some cases to people they had only known long enough to get their names.

As soon as she entered the room Tenten jumped into the bed and grabbed Kuma-chan. "I still can't believe that psycho, sadistic Mitarashi Naruto has a teddy bear named Kuma-chan." she teased softly as she laid on her back and held the bear in the air in front of her face.

Naruto didn't hear this because all he could do was stare longingly at Tenten. He couldn't think of anything but how cute she looked, how sexy she was, how smart, funny, and strong she was. Just then Naruto seemed to remember something Hinata had told him one night a few years ago. _You can't run away from your problems. _He was sure that she had stuttered during it but it was basically what she had said. _She's right. _Naruto thought. _I have to tell her how I feel and if she doesn't feel the same then at least I was honest with myself._

"Tenten-chan, can I talk to you?" he asked nervously as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"You already are but you can talk some more if you want." she teased while Naruto couldn't help but smile at her joke.

"Tenten-chan, I have known you for eight years and for those eight year you have been my best friend, along with Hinata-chan. But unlike Hinata-chan I started having feelings for you that weren't for a best friend or imouto, or nee-chan in your case. I have been trying to tell you this for a while now but I couldn't bring myself to tell you and have you not feel the same but now I want to tell you and if you don't feel the same then that's ok. Tenten-chan, I really like you, I may even love you. You have been there for me when ever I needed you. You are beautiful, smart, strong, funny, and you can also be as gentle as Hinata-chan when you want to be. I think you're perfect and..." he explained before Tenten cut him off by smashing her lips to his.

Tenten pulled him on top of her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. After a few minutes of utter bliss the two were brought back to reality but a very amused looking Anko and Kurenai.

"I believe he finally told her how he felt." Kurenai said with a giggle.

"And by the way they are making out I'd say she feels the same." Anko added.

"Please tell me my nee-chan isn't standing in the doorway." Naruto begged Tenten.

She looked over his shoulder to find the two looking at them with large smiles on their faces. Laying her head back down on the bed, Tenten looked him in the eyes and said. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun but she is."

Naruto blushed a deep red as he got off of Tenten and turned and pushed the two laughing females out of his room. "That was embarrassing." he said as he shut the door and leaned back against it.

"I like you too by the way." Tenten said as she got out of the bed and wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked shyly.

"That depends." Tenten said with a smile.

"On?"

"Whether or not you will kiss me again." she explained.

Naruto smiled down at her and slowly brought his lips back to hers. This time the kiss was very soft and gentle as apposed to the rough and needy kiss they had shared a few moments ago. As he kissed her he could taste cinnamon on her lips. He knew both she and Hinata loved cinnamon rolls and she must have had some before she came and broke down their door.

Once the two finally separated, Tenten sighed contentedly and said. "Yes, I will be your girlfriend."

"Lets go get some breakfast. Although you might not need it since you had cinnamon rolls already this morning." he teased as he opened his door.

"How did you..." she was going to ask before it clicked and she started blushing heavily but smiling none the less.

"It's about time. I was about to go in there with a bucket of water." said Anko, who Naruto could tell wasn't going to let them live this down for a long time.

"After the amount of times I've caught you and Kurenai in the couch, I think you can spot me a few times." Naruto said calmly as he began to eat his normal breakfast. A extra large bowl of ramen, a large plate of dango, and a large plate of eggs.

Tenten snickered at the two as the proverbial rug was pulled out from under them.

"Shut up Tenten." said Anko with a pout.

This time Kurenai joined in on teasing her. "Aw, you poor baby." she said as she lightly pinched Anko's cheeks.

"Stop that!" she shouted but she laughed all the same. "Now, are you two dating now?"

"Yes." answered Naruto firmly and with only a hint of a blush in his cheeks.

"Well good. Now maybe you two will stop dancing around each other." said Anko.

"We weren't that bad." said Naruto defensively.

Tenten on the other hand didn't look like she believed that. "Were we really?"

"Yes. It was cute for a while but then it started getting pathetic. We were planing on locking you in a closet if you didn't get together soon." said Anko.

"We could still lock you in a closet if you wanted us to." offered Kurenai while she and Anko laughed at the blush that crept onto the thoughtful looking faces of Naruto and Tenten.

"Shut up you two!" shouted Naruto.

"But Naru-chan, don't you want to be in a closet with your girlfriend?" asked Anko innocently.

"Of course I do....I mean, shut up!" he shouted as he turned away from Tenten as his slip up caused him to have all kinds of thoughts that were causing his nose to bleed a little.

"Can we please talk about something else?" asked Tenten pleadingly. While she was a little embarrassed from their teasing, she was also very happy to finally be dating Naruto and to know that he liked her as much as he did.

"Ok, we'll leave you two alone... for now." said Kurenai softly while Anko agreed but didn't look happy about it.

"Fine. Are you excited about finding out who is on your team?" Anko asked Naruto.

Naruto nodded as he sighed in relief that the teasing was over for now. "Yes. I really hope I get the team I told you two about yesterday."

"What team would that be?" asked Tenten.

"I want to be on a team with Hinata-chan, Shino, and Kurenai." he answered as his eyes gleamed with excitement at the possibility.

Kurenai smiled slightly at this and while she knew who was on his team, she had decided that it would be better as a surprise then for her to tell him.

"That would be a pretty strong scout team." said Tenten thoughtfully. "I never knew why there weren't more people like you, Anko, and Ibiki on scout teams. I mean a scout team's objective is to gather info and who better to do that then someone who is well versed in torture and interrogation?"

Anko sighed and turned to Kurenai. "We really need to start listening to the younger shinobi's suggestions." To which Kurenai simply nodded in agreement.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Most veteran shinobi don't believe that new Genin or even experienced Genin have anything worth while to say. None of us had ever thought of putting a interrogation specialist on a scout team and now that is was suggested we can't figure out why we hadn't." explained Kurenai.

"And while it would work out better, there just isn't a lot of people willing to do what we do. Ibiki, Naru-chan, and I are only three of the few in the village that are willing to do this job, and of the ones that will even fewer of them are any good at it." finished Anko.

"You mean that the same shinobi that can be called on to kill children don't want to interrogate someone?" asked Tenten who couldn't seem to figure out their reasoning.

"I don't know. Some people are just weird." answered Anko while Naruto and her smiled at each other. Calling someone else weird was always a good joke for them seeing as the two were as strange as they come.

"Yeah and you two are so very normal." said Kurenai dryly.

"Well if that is how you feel then I'm leaving." stated Naruto pompously as he stood.

"I'll walk with you to the academy." Tenten said as she and Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves only to appear right out side the fence. Once they started walking Tenten slid her hand into Naruto's and leaned against him.

"I was so nervous right before I started to tell you and now look at us." commented Naruto as he raised their hands so that she could look at them.

"I am so glad you did. I was just about to start yelling at you for not asking me out." she joked.

"Knowing you, you probably would have. Then you would beat me up and drag my body on a date." said Naruto lightly. "You always were forceful when it came to something you wanted."

"And in this case I really wanted you." Tenten replied softly.

The two walked slowly while speaking quietly before they reached the academy and found a smiling Hinata waiting for them.

"How do you do that?!" asked Naruto. No matter when he came to school she was always there and where ever he would arrive at she would be there.

"Wouldn't you like to know, but the important question is what is this?" she asked as she arched one of her elegant eyebrows and pointed to their hands.

"Well Tenten-chan decided to break down my front door this morning because I hadn't told her I passed the test. While we were in my room I remembered something you said about not running away from your problems so I told her how I felt and she jumped on me and, rather forcefully, told me she liked me too." explained Naruto with a bright smile while Tenten blushed guiltily.

"Sounds like her." teased Hinata. "So how much did Anko-sempai and Kurenai-sempai make fun of you?"

At this Naruto and Tenten both sighed.

"More then I hoped they would." answered Naruto.

Hinata shook her head and replied. "I thought you knew them better then that, Naruto-kun."

"Shut up Hinata-chan." said Naruto but with a smile.

"I've got to go meet the two freaks and the prick." said Tenten sadly as she squeezed Naruto's hand.

"I'll just wait inside." Hinata said quickly before she ran into the room.

"I'm not sure who I get or how long the meeting will be but do you want to come over tonight? Hinata-chan will more then likely be there as well if she and I make it onto the same team." he asked.

"I'll be there." she promised before kissing Naruto lightly on the lips and running off to meet her team.

Naruto couldn't help but watch her as she left. More accurately, he watched certain parts of her as she left. _I'm in trouble. _He thought as he finally turned and walked into the class room. This time the class stopped talking and stared at him in shock.

"Who are you?!" shouted Inuzuka Kiba. This boy was almost as loud as Lee and Guy but only half as weird looking. He always wore a bulky coat and always had his companion with him. The Inuzuka Clan specializes in man/beast styles jutsus. For this reason they were bonded with a dog at the moment of birth. Akamaru, Kiba's dog, was usually found sleeping on top of Kiba's head.

"What are you talking about, Dog-boy?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto never walks in through the door! So who are you?!" he shouted.

Naruto sighed and asked. "What do I have to do to prove that I am me?"

Kiba started thinking but it was Sakura who asked the question. "Who do you like?"

"Tenten-chan." Naruto said quickly.

"There! Naruto never admits to liking Tenten!" Kiba shouted again and this time Naruto sweat dropped.

"I admit it now because we started dating!" he shouted back but the class, minus Hinata and Iruka, looked largely unconvinced. Those two knew that it was Naruto but they were to busy laughing at him to help.

"A likely story." said Ino. Ino was a girl with long blond hair and bright blue eyes and she always wore a purple skirt and sleeveless shirt with wrappings around her torso and upper legs.

"That's it!" Naruto shouted before he bit his thumb and flew through some hand signs. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"(Summoning Technique).

With a large puff of smoke a very large snake appeared. The snake was easily long enough to wrap around the room and large enough to eat any one them without any trouble.

The sudden appearance of the snake caused many to scream and Ino and Sakura to jump onto their desks as if that would put them out of reach of the giant snake.

"Naruto, why have you summoned me?" asked the snake as it lowered it's large head to Naruto's.

"I finally walked through the door and they didn't believe that it was me!" he shouted.

The snake hissed a laugh before looking back to the class. "Would you like for me to eat them? It's been so long since you've summoned me to dispose of a foolish villager."

"Sorry but I need them. But don't worry! I'm a Genin now and I can summon you to eat my enemies." Naruto said happily. Most of the class knew that Naruto had killed any villager or shinobi he heard speaking ill of Anko and Kurenai but they never knew how, and now that they did most of them wished they didn't.

"My jii-san told me to tell you that you and Anko are close to your 'Rights'." said the snake before he disappeared.

"Yes!" shouted Naruto after he heard the snakes message before grabbing Hinata and dancing around the room.

"Naruto, what are your 'Rights'?" asked Iruka as the class settled down and took their seats.

"When someone signs the snake contract they have to summon a lower level snake and prove to them that you are worthy. This is the only real way you can get to summon the boss or any of the higher level summons. Some people, like that fucker Orochimaru, ignore this and summon Manda whenever they want. This makes Manda very angry and IF you can get him to listen to you then it costs a sacrifice of 100 men but most of the time he will simply eat the summoner. Anko-nee-chan and I are close to our 'Rights' meaning that were are close to being able to summon Manda without the sacrifice!" Naruto explained happily while most were shocked at how harsh the snake contract was.

"Anko-chan will be happy to hear that." said Kurenai as she and eight other Jounins walked into the room.

"Class, these are the Jounin senseis you will be paired with. Each three man team with go with their instructor after I finish listing everyone. Now....wait. Where the hell is Kakashi?" asked Iruka as he rubbed his head in frustration.

"Probably reading porn." growled Kurenai while the other senseis inched away from her. It was very well known that Kurenai hated perverts and their preferred reading material.

"Um... well... ok." said Iruka nervously before he started listing names and teams, most of which Naruto didn't pay attention to. "...Team 7 will Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura under Hatake Kakashi."

"YES!" screamed Sakura as she jumped to her feet pumped her fist into the air.

"I'm glad you approve Sakura, now please sit down." Iruka said in exasperation. "Team 8 will be Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and...." Here he trailed off as Naruto and Hinata leaned forward in suspense. "Does any one need a bathroom break? he asked.

Naruto jumped to his feet and shouted. "You read that fucking name right the fuck now you fucking asshole!"

"...and Mitarashi Naruto under Yuuhi Kurenai." Iruka read quickly.

"YES!" shouted Hinata and Naruto before hugging each other happily. Then the last named clicked and Naruto turned to his new sensei.

"You bitch! Why didn't you tell me?!" he shouted.

"That is 'Bitch-sensei' to you, worm." sneered Kurenai playfully. "And I didn't tell you because that would ruin the surprise."

"If you three are done?" asked Iruka weakly before he read Team 9 quickly as Naruto and Kurenai turned their glares towards him. "...Team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru under Sarutobi Asuma. That is everyone so please follow your sensei, except for Team 7 who will be waiting awhile, for your team meeting."

And with that Team 8 followed their new sensei to a nearby training ground where they began their meeting. Kurenai chose to stand and Shino leaned back against a large tree while Naruto and Hinata sat down near the quiet boy, Hinata sitting a little closer then necessary.

"To start off with I want you to introduce yourselves. I want your names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams or goals for the future, and what you specialties are." Kurenai said with a warm smile. "Naru-chan, you can start."

"I told you two to stop calling me that!" he shouted while Kurenai just smiled. "My name is Mitarashi Naruto. I like my nee-chan, Tenten-chan and her family, Hinata-chan, Kurenai-sensei, Ibiki, the Third Hokage, and Iruka. I also like training, sparring with Hinata-chan and Tenten-chan, and ramen, dango, and eggs. My dislikes are unjust prejudices towards female shinobi, my nee-chan, and myself. I also dislike the Uchiha-teme, and most of the villagers in this village. My hobbies are spending time with those I like, training with Anko-nee-chan, and working alongside Anko-nee-chan and Ibiki on the rare times they will let me. My dream is to become Hokage and prove to everyone that I am more then they see me as. My skills are in torture, interrogation, snake and poison jutsus, poisons themselves, and taijutsu."

"Mr. Silent, your up." said Kurenai to Shino.

"I am Aburame Shino. I like my insects. I dislike people who would kill an insect for no reason. My hobbies are collecting more insects. My dream is to become a worthy leader of my clan. I am skilled in tracking, and my families jutsus." Shino said quietly and without ever changing his tone.

"No need to get to worked up Shino." joked Naruto.

Shino's only reply was pushing is sunglasses back up his nose. Shino was tall for his age, just above Naruto in height. He had slightly pale skin and black hair. The only thing they could tell that he wore was his black round sunglasses, a long gray trench coat, not unlike Naruto's but with a higher collar, that was always closed, and a pair of black boots.

"Hinata, go ahead." Kurenai said once she saw that Shino wasn't going to say anything.

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. My likes are Naruto-kun, Anko-sempai, Tenten-chan and her family, Kurenai-sensei, flower pressing, the insects in the garden who help it grow, and a certain other person." At this she glanced at Shino quickly. "My dislikes are how my family treats me, and how the village treats Naruto-kun and Anko-sempai. My hobbies are mostly the same as my likes, plus spending time, and training, with Naruto-kun and Tenten-chan. My dream is to prove that I am not the mistake and failure my clan seems to think I am. I am good at my families taijutsu style and scouting."

Nodding her head, Kurenai said. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. My likes are Anko-chan, Ibiki-kun, Naru-chan and his friends. My dislikes are a lot like Naruto's. My hobbies are creating new genjutsus and going out and sparring with Anko-chan. My dream is to live with Anko-chan and prove that females are just as good as males when it comes to being a shinobi. I am a Genjutsu Mistress and I am known as the best in Konohagakure. My taijutsu and ninjutsus are Jounin level and my tracking skills rival that of the Inuzuka's."

"So what now?" asked Naruto.

"Now I shock you all by telling you that you aren't really Genin!" she said happily while her team varied in their reactions. Shino simply raised both of his eyebrows, Hinata's eyes went wide, and Naruto stared at her with his mouth open.

"What the hell do you mean?! We passed that fucking test!" he finally shouted.

"That test was to get rid of the truly hopeless cases. Each Jounin sensei is to give their own test to see whether or not they believe their team is ready or if they want to even bother. If you pass then you will become Genin. If you fail you will go back to the academy." she explained with an Anko like smirk.

"Our chances?" asked Shino.

"Very low. More often then not only three teams will pass their sensei's test. I will give you one hint. In the shinobi world things are rarely what they seem." she answered. "Now, this is training ground eight if you pass my test and become Team 8 then this will be our training ground. Meet me here tomorrow morning at five a.m. and don't be late." And with that she disappeared.

The three would be Genin stared at the spot she had been standing in in disbelief.

"Well that sucks!" shouted Naruto. He knew that he could hold his own against any Genin or Chuunin but having to take a test from a Jounin would even push his skills to the limit. "Oh well, who wants to go get something to eat? My treat!"

"Ok." said Hinata softly.

Shino looked at him for a few moments before nodding.

"I'll get us there faster." Naruto said as he placed a hand on their shoulders before disappearing.

"I should have known." said Hinata once they appeared in from of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"Shino, do you like ramen?" Naruto asked as the three walked in and sat down as the counter.

"It is acceptable." he answered.

"Well then you have never had my ramen!" said Teuchi as he came to take there order.

"I have not." admitted the boy.

"I'll have three bowls of beef ramen, three of shrimp, and three of your chili ramen." ordered Naruto as he all but drooled on the counter.

"One miso ramen please." ordered Hinata.

"I will have one bowl of beef ramen and one of the chili ramen." ordered Shino.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi said brightly as he walked back to begin on their orders.

"Hello Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan!" said Ayame as she came out of the back and saw Naruto and Hinata and once she spotted Shino she asked. "And who is this?"

"This is Shino, our soon to be teammate. Shino this is Ayame-chan. She and her tou-san own this place." said Naruto.

"So _this_ is Shino." she said with a smile as she shot Hinata a quick look.

"Do you know me?" he asked.

"I know _of_ you. Some of our customers have spoken of you, and in glowing terms might I add." she said while Hinata gave her a pleading look.

"Hmm." he said simply before falling silent.

It wasn't long after that when Teuchi brought out their orders and the three began eating. Shino was a little shocked by the speed at which Naruto ate but he didn't say anything. He also wondered how he was so fit if he ate like this all the time. He then turned his attention to his own food and as he took a bite of his ramen he couldn't help but say. "This is very good."

"Teuchi-san makes the best ramen in the village." said Hinata after she swallowed what she had in her mouth.

"Does he always eat like that?" he asked Hinata.

Hinata turned and saw Naruto starting on his fifth bowl and said. "Yes. Naruto-kun has a very high metabolism and can eat like that and never feel the adverse affects like weight gain."

"You have known each other for a long time, haven't you?" he asked. He didn't say it but this was the most he had spoken to anyone outside of his family but he figured that with Naruto on his team he was going to have to get used to speaking more and he found that Hinata was very easy to talk to.

"Since we were four. I met him when he beat up some bullies on the playground near the Hokage Tower. I was being picked on and Naruto-kun can and chased them away. Of course he stabbed one of them with a kunai and kicked the other two between the legs before they would leave." answered Hinata while Naruto gave Ayame a new order of ramen.

"So he has always been rather...violent?"

"For the most part. Being raised by Anko-sempai has brought a lot of that out but believe me when I say that Naruto-kun has had a very hard life and, like Anko-sempai, he uses his work as a means to vent his anger. He is also very kind to those who get to know him and he will defend you from anything from someone calling you names to someone threatening your life." Hinata said quietly so that only Shino could hear.

"Will he tell me about his life?" he asked.

"Once he gets to know you and you gain his trust." she answered. "I am glad you are on our team, Aburame-san."

"I am starting to like this team as well, and please, call me Shino." he said before he pushed his two empty bowls away. He never noticed the light blush and pleased look on Hinata's face.

By the end of the meal Shino had finished his two bowls, Hinata her one, and Naruto finally stopped after an even twelve. All in all Teuchi was more then happy to take Naruto's money once they decided to leave.

"I must be going. I am looking forward to working with you." said Shino as he gave them a slight bow before walking off.

"Hinata-chan, Tenten-chan is coming over later, do you want to come?" Naruto asked.

"No, I think I'll let you two be alone." she said suggestively.

"I never thought that I would say this but, Hinata-chan, you pervert! Nothing like that will be happening." Naruto said firmly.

Hinata looked at him and gave him her best teary, doe eyed look and asked innocently. "Naruto-kun, what are you talking about? I just thought that I would leave you alone to talk. What did you think I meant?"

"I know damn well what you meant so don't try and use those cute eyes of yours to get out of this one. Seriously, if you want to come over your more then welcome to." he said as they stared towards Hinata's house none the less.

"No. All perverted joked aside, I really do want to give you some time alone with your new girlfriend." she said calmly.

"Thanks." Naruto said as he sighed in relief. "I do want you there but I also want to be alone with Tenten-chan. I tell you what. I'll talk to Shino and see how he feels about you. Then maybe we can go on a double date."

"That would be nice." said Hinata shyly as they reached her home. "Well, have fun, but not too much fun." She teased before hugging him and walking inside.

Naruto watched her until the door closed before he used the body flicker to appear right outside his front door. Once he entered he found Anko and Kurenai sitting at the kitchen table with Tenten showing her pictures of Naruto as he grew up. Anko had always seemed to know that the two would get together so she hid some stories and pictures from Tenten until they got together. This photo album just happen to be the one from just after he had met Tenten and while he didn't believe that it was terribly embarrassing, it was still something Naruto wished Tenten hadn't seen.

"Do you live to embarrass me?" he asked his nee-chan and Kurenai as he walked around behind them to see what they were looking at. Once he saw the pictures he groaned and blushed. He had been wrong. These were some of the most embarrassing pictures of him there were. They showed the very first time Anko had let Ibiki and Kurenai babysit him when he was still four and in the picture Naruto was running naked from Ibiki who seemed to be about ready to cry.

"Yes, yes I do." answered Anko calmly while Tenten looked up at him and smiled.

Naruto glared at her playfully before saying. "I got my team."

"So who is it! Kurenai-chan wouldn't tell us." Anko shouted with a glare to her best friend and lover.

"I got Hinata-chan, Shino, and Kurenai." he answered happily while Tenten cheered and hugged him.

"You never told me!" Anko shouted at Kurenai.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." she said defensively. "Besides, it was worth it to see his and Hinata's faces once they heard."

Anko looked excited and asked. "Did you get a picture?"

"Of course." Kurenai said as if it were obvious.

"Hey Kurenai, would you please tell me what test you are going to give us?" Naruto begged.

Kurenai shook her head and said. "Nope. If you are going to be on my team then I want you to earn it. Now why don't you take Tenten into your room and we'll call you once dinner is ready."

"Ok." said Naruto quickly as Tenten stood and the two walked into his room.

He was a little caught off guard when Tenten pulled him into a kiss as soon as the door was closed. The two continued to kiss as they made there way towards the bed before Naruto backed into it and fell back while pulling Tenten down with him.

"Hello." he said breathlessly as Tenten rolled off of him and laid down beside him.

"Hi." she replied softly. "Is Hinata-chan coming?"

"No. She said that she wanted to give was time alone. She also made some perverted comments about us being alone." he answered with a slight smile. "You know you caused me some problems today."

"How?"

"I wasn't thinking right after you left and I walked into the classroom through the door, no one would believe that I was me until I summoned a snake." he said.

"Did I mess you up that badly?" asked Tenten innocently.

"Yes, but it was rather nice." he teased.

"I'm glad because I don't plan on stopping so you were going to have to suffer though our kisses if you didn't like it."

"Then it's a good thing I do then."

Tenten then rolled back on top of him and started kissing him again. She surprised him when she gently ran her tongue over his lips, asking permission to enter. Once the shock went away he was more then willing to let her do what ever she wanted. As soon as their tongues touched Naruto and Tenten both moaned into each others mouth before deepening the kiss as much as they could.

Before long Naruto was having blood flow problems and pulled away. Tenten looked confused and a little hurt until Naruto said. "Tenten-chan we need to stop or something might happen that we aren't ready for."

Tenten looked confused until she saw the slight bulge in his pants and blushed. "Sorry about that." she said shyly.

"Believe me it's no problem but my body is far more willing to continue then I am ready for." Naruto was as he turned on his side and faced Tenten.

"I'm not ready for much more then kissing myself. I didn't know you would react like that." she said softly.

Naruto laughed a little and asked. "How else would I react when my beautiful girlfriend is laying on top of me with her tongue in my mouth? Not to mention the effects my hormones are having on my mind and body!"

"Are you saying that you didn't like it?" she asked lightly.

"Hell no! I loved it but that seemed to cause the problem to begin with." he said with a laugh.

"Well I for one am glad you find me so attractive." she said with a smile as she moved in closer to him and laid against his chest.

"Tenten-chan, you are beautiful." Naruto stated.

"Do you like me more the Kuma-chan?" she asked with a completely straight face.

"Jealous that she gets to sleep with me?" he teased while Tenten's mask seemed to be breaking. "I don't know. Kuma-chan has always been with me but you are human and dead sexy. She is a teddy bear while you are my girlfriend and again, you're human. She is always nice and quiet while you made me eat dirt as a kid."

At this Tenten began laughing. She had almost forgotten that she had done that and now that she remembered she laughed like she had when it first happened. "I-I... c-can't... b-believe... you... r-remembered... t-that!" she said in between gasps for air as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Of course I remembered! I've been plotting my revenge all these years." he said evilly.

"O-Oh r-really?" asked asked as she started to gain control over herself again.

"Oh yes. I had to wait until we were alone and you trusted me before I could exact my unholy revenge." he stated.

"And what is it?" she asked with a smile.

"This!" Naruto shouted as he hopped to his knees and began tickling her.

"S-STOP!" she shouted as she began laughing loudly.

"Never! This is revenge, unholy revenge at that, I can't just stop because you ask me." he said as he continued to tickle the defenseless girl, who was squirming and crying as she roared with laughter.

"P-P-PLEASE!" she shouted.

"What's in it for me?" he asked as he moved up her sides, making her, if it were possible, laugh even harder.

"A-A kiss?" she offered.

"Ok." said Naruto as he suddenly stopped.

"Y-You ass!" said Tenten as she slapped him in the arm and wiped her eyes and cheeks.

"You know you love me." he said in a sing song tone of voice.

"Yes I do, but I don't know why." she countered.

"Then let me show you." he said before he gently pulled Tenten into another kiss.

This kiss lasted until Kurenai knocked on the door and told them that dinner was done. Sighing softly, Naruto stood up and helped Tenten out of his bed before the two walked into the kitchen where they found Anko and Kurenai looking at them with identical smirks on their faces.

"You know, for making out there was a lot of laughing." Anko said off handedly as the they began to fill their plates.

"We weren't making out!" Naruto shouted before Tenten gave a small cough. "Um...Well, we weren't _just_ making out."

"Naru-chan, I believe that it's about time we had a little talk. You see when a man and a woman love...." Kurenai started before Naruto jumped to his feet and shouted.

"Leave us alone! Besides, you know damn well that I've already had that talk as you two were the ones that gave it to me. You just want to embarrass me!"

Anko suddenly looked highly offended. "How could you? I, we, were just worried about you and you shout at us. We only had the best of intentions at heart."

"And who's intentions were you serving?" he asked calmly while Tenten snickered as the two older females suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Anko knew they had been caught so she decided to play her trump card. "Have you spoke with Tenten's parents about dating her yet?" she asked.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, both Tenten and Naruto dropped their chopsticks and paled. After one fearful look at her new boyfriend, Tenten asked. "Naruto-kun, do you want to talk to them when you walk me home?"

Naruto looked thoughtful as he weighed his options. On one hand he could go with Tenten, face her parents and probably come out of the discussion with a few cuts and bruises. On the other he could let Tenten go home alone, which would upset her, and then he would have Anko, Kurenai, Hinata, Kenshin, Emi, and Tenten mad at him. Needless to say that it took him all of two seconds before he chose.

"I'll speak with them when I walk you home." he stated firmly while Anko and Kurenai smiled approvingly and Tenten hugged him tightly before kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." she said softly.

"It's was a pretty easy decision to make. I can handle facing your tou-san and kaa-san but if I made you upset it would kill me and I mean that both emotionally and physically because Anko-nee-chan, Kurenai, and Hinata-chan would kill me if I hurt you." he reasoned while the three women laughed at this but couldn't help but agree.

"Well I'm glad you learned from your time with me." said Anko happily.

"How could I not? If I messed up you would carve the correct answer into my hide."

"I wasn't that bad!"

"Need I remind you of the time I told you that you looked tired?" asked Naruto calmly.

"No." muttered a defeated Anko.

"Good. Now after dinner I want you to do your homework and go to bed." ordered Naruto playfully.

"Ok." said Anko with an exaggerated pout. This pout quickly became a smile as she and Naruto began to laugh while Tenten and Kurenai started wondering why they loved them so much.

The rest of dinner was great if anyone had asked Naruto and Tenten. Why was it great? Because Anko and Kurenai hadn't made fun of them for the rest of the meal. Naruto believed that it was because they knew what he was going to do after dinner and they were taking pity on him. Tenten thought this too but she tried to convince herself that they were just nice. This tactic didn't work for very long.

Finally the meal ended and Naruto and Tenten began walking back to her house while holding hands and talking about every little thing that came to mind. That was what was so great about talking with a best friend like Tenten or Hinata. They had known each other for eight years and understood each other, even when they said something that most people would have been insulted by. They each know the others inside and out and never got hung up on something that the other, mostly Naruto, had said.

"Is it just me or do you look very beautiful tonight?" asked Naruto.

"Are you saying that I look ugly every other night?" asked Tenten playfully.

Naruto's eyes widened and he stammered for a few moments before he took a deep breath and said. "No. You look beautiful everyday. What I meant was that it is nice to be with you and know that you like me. The last year has been torture for me. To know that I liked you and that I couldn't have you. You, Tenten-chan, are a tease."

Tenten tried her best to look innocent at the accusation. "What ever do you mean, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto thought she looked very cute but he knew her well enough to know that she was never innocent. "You know damn well what I mean. The way you would walk so close to me and speak softly..... DAMN IT!" he shouted.

At this Tenten looked very confused and startled. "What?" she asked quickly.

"Nothing. I just realized that you did all those things because you liked me. How could I have not have seen it?"

"You were distracted by my stunning good looks." joked Tenten.

"How can you be so modest?" he asked with mock awe.

"It's a gift."

"Whatever you say. I only wish I had noticed sooner."

"You know, you weren't the only one to miss the stolen looks and to miss read the signs. You did all the things I did and I never put two and two together. Don't think about what could have been, Naruto-kun. It will only distract you from what is in front of you now."

Naruto looked at Tenten and rose an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?" he asked.

"I read it in a book once." she admitted with a slight blush.

"Are you sure that the book wasn't actually a fortune cookie?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Tenten shouted before punching him in the arm none to lightly. "Don't be a jerk, Naruto-kun!" she added as she turned her back to him and huffed.

"I'm not being a jerk. That _did_ sound like something a fortune cookie would say. I wasn't trying to make fun of you, Tenten-chan. Please forgive me?" he pleaded as he stepped up right behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He then kissed her softly on the back of her neck which caused her to shiver slightly.

"That's not fair." she stated softly as she hugged Naruto's arms to her chest.

"I know and I really wasn't trying to make fun of you." he said gently as he rested his chin on her shoulder and leaned his head against hers.

"I know you weren't. Now, lets go tell my tou-san that we are dating and hope that there is enough left of you _to_ date afterwards."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Why couldn't your tou-san be a seamstress or something and not a blacksmith with a house full of weapons?" asked Naruto weakly as he let her go and the two continued their walk towards her house.

Once they were standing outside the front door Naruto turned and tried to run only to find Tenten standing there with her arms crossed. "Going somewhere?" she asked dangerously.

"Um.... I thought I saw a lost kitten. Come on we have to save it!" he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Which wasn't a lot.

Tenten did crack a smile at the lame excuse but she could play dirty. Giving him her best puppy dog look she asked. "Naruto-kun, why do you want to run? Don't you want to be with me? Won't you talk to my tou-san if it means that we can be together?"

Naruto's mouth opened and closed a few times before he sighed and his shoulders slumped. "You don't play fair. Come on." he muttered as he and a smiling Tenten walked into the house to fine Emi and Kenshin talking while Kenshin polished a beautiful sword that made Naruto very nervous.

"Kaa-san, tou-san? Naruto-kun wants to speak to you." said Tenten quickly before she ran from the room as fast as she could.

Naruto watched her going in disbelief. She had left him alone to tell her tou-san and kaa-san that they were dating. _She will pay. _Vowed Naruto before gulping as Emi and Kenshin looked at him questioningly.

"Did you need something?" asked Emi while Naruto's eyes never strayed from the sword.

"Y-Yes." said Naruto nervously. "You both have taken care of me for years while Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei were away on missions. You know I love your family and think of it as my own and that I would never do anything to harm a member of this family. This morning when Tenten-chan came over I finally told her how I felt and she told me that she felt the same. We, more like I since she ran out of here like a bat out of hell, wanted to tell you what were are dating and hope that you approve."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Naruto watched Kenshin's grip on the sword tighten as he got to his feet and walked towards the much smaller Naruto. Even without any form of shinobi training, Kenshin's shear size made him one of the most intimidating people in the village. At six feet ten inches and three hundred forty pounds of pure muscle, he was a sight to behold and at this moment Naruto wished he was anywhere else in the world. Even the jaws of the Kyuubi seemed like a much more inviting place then his current position in front of the massive blacksmith.

"So, you want to date my musume?" asked the hulking man.

"N-No." Naruto said nervously.

"What?" asked Emi who was surprised by his answer.

"I'm not asking. I'm telling you that we are dating and while we would like your blessing, it is not something we need." stated Naruto firmly as he looked eyes with Kenshin while refusing to look away.

"You've got some nerve kid." he growled and yet Naruto refused to budge. Even when Kenshin lifted the sword and swing it down towards his neck he didn't move. Finally a smile broke out across the mans face. "I'm glad you finally told her how you felt because if I had to listen to another night of 'do you think Naruto-kun likes me' or 'why won't he ask me out? Am I ugly?' I swear I was going to go crazy!"

As soon as this was said Naruto let out a deep breath and looked about ready to faint. On shaky knees, he walked over to a chair and sat beside a smiling Emi.

"You ok?" she asked sweetly.

Naruto rolled his head to the side and looked at her. "Shut up."

Emi just smiled and said. "For what it's worth I'm happy for the two of you. I was worried that you would never tell each other and be miserable for the rest of your life. So, did you kiss yet?"

This question caught Kenshin's attention and Naruto to gain a glazed over look.

"Yeah and it was great. Tenten-chan is really sexy and a great kisser." he said dreamily before he remembered where he was and with whom he was speaking to. He jumped out of his seat just in time for a sword to slice it in two. With a fearful look around the room, Naruto took off out the door while Emi laughed loudly at her shujin's cursing and the young man's sudden departure.

Once Naruto was out the door Tenten hung her head out of her window and call out to him. Naruto was thankful for the fact that Tenten's window was larger then any other in the house as he jumped into the air and into her room.

"How could you run off like that?!" he hissed quietly as he and Tenten walked over to her bed and sat down. A apposed to Anko's room being the opposite of what people might think, Tenten's was exactly what it should have been. The walls were painted a pale red and she had blue prints for weapon making hanging all over her walls were most girls her age had posters of a band or the all to common poster of a popular male idol. A bed, dresser, and mirror were all that was in there besides stacks of weapons and targets.

"I'm sorry. I freaked out and ran. Please forgive me?" she pleaded as she took Naruto's hand in hers.

"Of course I do and everything went fine until the part where your tou-san split the chair I was sitting in in two with that sword. Although I did have that coming." he said softly so that her parents didn't know he was still here.

"How?" asked Tenten who couldn't see how Naruto deserved to be killed.

Naruto blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well your kaa-san asked if we had kissed and I was so caught up in remembering our kisses that I told them that we had and that you were sexy and a great kisser."

Now it was Tenten's turn to blush. She then gave Naruto a small smile and kissed him gently on the lips. In no time the two forgot where they were and began to explore each others mouth with increasing vigor. Luckily the stairs in the home were squeaky and let the two teens know that Tenten's parents were coming up the stairs. Very quickly, Naruto jumped off of Tenten and out the window after a quick kiss and a promise to see her the next day.

Before long Naruto was standing just inside his apartment while leaning against the door with an amused looking Kurenai and Anko looking on.

"You're not dead." stated Anko who tried to sound surprised.

"No but very nearly." muttered Naruto as he walked over to them and flopped down between them on the couch. "Tenten-chan ran for it as soon as we saw her parents and left me to talk to them. Everything went fine, I mean they gave their blessing and everything, until Emi asked if we had kissed."

By now Anko and Kurenai were both laughing and snickering respectively while Naruto ignored them and continued. "I'm still new to kissing so I kind of forgot where I was and said that Tenten-chan was sexy and a great kisser. Emi just laughed but Kenshin didn't find it at all funny. So, after he sliced through my chair with a sword, I ran for it."

Anko and Kurenai were both laughing loudly by the end of the story and while they did feel sorry for Naruto they simply found it entirely to funny not to laugh.

"Don't worry. Kenshin might die soon. Other then that I don't see him forgetting what you said." said Anko in her own reassuring way.

"I doubt it. Not many could kill him." argued Kurenai.

"True. Naru-chan, it would be best to never go back over there again." joked Anko.

"Some help you two are. I'm going to bed." he growled as he stood and stomped off towards his room only to stop as he reached his door. "Good night!" he called back to them.

"Good night." they shouted back.

With that Naruto walked into his room and fell onto his bed in a very ungraceful way. Reaching out Naruto turned on his fan and picked up Kuma-chan and before saying. "I can't believe my luck. I'm dating Tenten-chan and I got the team I wanted. You are really turning out to be a good luck charm, Kuma-chan."

Of course the bear said nothing but Naruto didn't expect it to. With a content sigh, Naruto closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind blowing across his face and shoulders. It didn't take long before the droning sound of the fan combined with the relaxing feel of the wind caused Naruto fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Five in the morning comes all to early for a young man dreaming of his girlfriend. The only reason Naruto finally did manage to wake up was properly because he had accidentally rolled out of his bed and fell to the flood with a heavy thud.

"Does that mean you are up?" asked a voice from the other side of his door.

Naruto muttered something incoherent before he untangled himself from his sheet and pulled himself to his feet. Opening the door Naruto found Kurenai standing before him smiling brightly.

"It's too early to be that happy." he muttered as he pushed past a now laughing kunoichi and made his way towards the kitchen only to find his nee-san already awake and putting the finishing touches on breakfast.

"Come on Naru-chan! I know for a fact Anko-chan used to wake you up at ungodly hours to beat you... I mean _train_ you." replied Kurenai as a still sleepy looking Anko glared at her for her 'slip'.

"Key word is 'used'. She stopped doing that once she realized that it was cutting into her 'beauty sleep' to much."

"Why is everyone picking on me?" whined Anko as she set their breakfast on the table.

"Because it's fun and easy." Kurenai stated happily.

"Just like you, Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto added brightly before he had to dodge a few pairs of chopsticks from the angry brunette.

"Watch it or I will make your test even harder." she growled while Anko simply sat back and laughed as they glared at each other, daring the other to try anything more.

The staring contest quickly ended when Naruto's stomach growled and he was forced to turn his attention back to his food. The rest of the meal was done in a comfortable silence and with only a few odd jokes here and there, again mostly at the expense of Naruto. Once they were done and Naruto had finished putting everything in the sink, he asked. "What time is it any way?"

"Just after four." Anko answered as she and Kurenai walked back to their room to start getting ready for the day.

"Why did I wake up so soon? I thought it was almost five!" he cried pitifully as he slowly made his way back towards his room.

"Would you rather have slept in and missed breakfast?" Kurenai asked calmly from behind their bedroom door.

"I think you know that answer to that." stated Naruto from his room. They both laughed a little and agreed. Naruto never missed a meal unless something very important happened. As far as they could remember it has only happened twice. Once then he and Tenten spent the day with Hinata after her kaa-san passed away and then the second time was when he had accidentally stabbed Tenten in the stomach with a kunai when they were younger. He had spent an entire afternoon apologizing and waiting on her hand and foot before she finally tired of it and kicked him out of her house.

"So, are you excited?" Anko asked as she and Kurenai stood in his doorway as he pulled on his shirt, or rather want counted as a shirt in their family, and coat.

"I'm slightly more scared then excited. You trained me very well but Kurenai could think up anything. She also knows my training from you very well and could make us do something she knows I can't do." he admitted as he followed them back to the kitchen where they sat down and had some tea before they all had to leave.

"Would I do that?" asked Kurenai as innocently as she possibly could. When all she received were looks that clearly said that they thought she would, she continued. "Ok so I would. Just remember what I said yesterday and you should he fine."

"I just thought of the perfect test!" Anko shouted suddenly, scaring the other two.

"And it would be?" Naruto asked calmly while expecting the worst.

Anko turned towards Kurenai and said. "You should make Naru-chan steal a pair of Tenten's panties, take them to Kenshin, and have him say that she forgot them in his room last night!"

Kurenai laughed happily at this while Naruto blushed heavily before turning a chalk white. The thing that scared him most is that Kurenai would do it to him too. After spending so much time around Anko and Naruto she had long since developed a sadistic side of her own and while it didn't come out as much, it was still there.

Not wanting to let Kurenai even think about it for much longer, Naruto quickly countered. "Or I could 'accidentally' take a few pictures of the two of you and sell them to that pervert who writes those books you both seem to love so much!"

"You wouldn't dare!" they shouted as they forgot their laughter and paled.

"Try me." Naruto said calmly and with that another glaring competition began.

"Don't the two of you have somewhere to be?" Anko asked suddenly, snapping them all out of their game.

Turning to the clock both Kurenai and Naruto both shouted. "Shit!" Before disappearing in two swirls of leaves.

"I win." Anko said with a very satisfied smirk before she too disappeared.

Kurenai and Naruto both appeared in the clearing of training ground eight to find Shino and Hinata waiting quietly for them. Neither of them were exactly late but neither were they as early as they would have liked and by the way Hinata and Shino were resting, they had been there for quite a while longer then them.

"Good morning you two! I'm sorry I'm not early but I had these two harpies screeching at me all morning." said Naruto while Kurenai suddenly appeared behind him and smashed her fist into his head.

"Don't mind him. He's blond." Kurenai teased as Hinata snickered and Naruto rubbed his head and muttered about revenge. "I am pleased that you are all here so early."

"I was too nervous to get back to sleep once I woke up." Hinata admitted with a slight blush and by the way Shino shifted slightly it must have been the same for him. Then again, one can never really tell when it came to a member of the Aburame clan.

"As long as you remember what I said yesterday and do your best I'm sure you'll be fine." she assured them with a warm smile.

"It would be even better if you would just pass us." offered Naruto hopefully. When he saw that Kurenai was smiling but shaking her head he added. "Come on! I'm letting you date me nee-chan!"

"Letting me?" she asked dangerously.

"Ok, so I don't really have a say in it but I could easily put snakes in your bed!" he threatened weakly. He and Kurenai both knew that he was very happy for them and would never try anything to break them up. They also knew that he would never try and harm her because not only would she hurt him but Anko would... _train_ him for a few days.

"Just give it up, Naruto-kun. She is one of the few people you can't threaten or intimidate." advised Hinata with a smile while Naruto pouted a little and went to stand by Shino.

"It was worth a try." he muttered.

"It is better to try and fail then to give up before you start." stated Shino calmly.

"See Shino agrees with me!" Naruto shouted happily.

"But is it foolish as well as brave to fight a losing and hopeless battle." the bug user added causing Naruto to sulk again and the two females to laugh happily.

"I liked you better when you were quiet."

Once Kurenai and Hinata had finally stopped laughing, the older woman turned serious and said. "Ok. Seeing as we are a tracking/scouting team that will be your test."

"What are we tracking?" asked Naruto who was starting to get excited and by the look in Hinata's eyes she was as well. Shino... well Naruto assumed that he was excited too because his insects were buzzing a little louder.

Kurenai smiled evilly and pulled out a scroll and a round ball. After she tossed them both at his feet the ball exploded into a giant cloud of smoke. Once it cleared they saw that their would be sensei was gone and that the scroll was still on the ground in front of them.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be hard?" asked Naruto as he picked up the scroll and opened it.

_Team 8,_

_Your test is to find me. Simple right? Well there is a catch or two. First, you can not be seen by anyone, shinobi or villager, once you leave the clearing. Second, the only boundaries are the village walls. Third and foremost you only have one hour. Oh, and if I see a snake or insect, I will kill it._

_Kurenai_

"That crazy bit..." started Naruto before Hinata slapped him in the back of the head and glared at him. "What?! How are we supposed to find a Jounin that specializes in stealth?"

"Are you not even going to try?" asked Shino calmly while they could hear a very slight edge to his tone.

"Like hell I'm giving up! I'm just going to have to think up a way to get her back for this." he stated firmly while Hinata smiled brightly at him. "Shino, how easily can to talk to your insects and what range to you have with them?"

"Very easily. If I stand here I could send them to the villages walls and they would be back in two minutes." he answered as the other two heard slightly louder buzzing coming from his coat.

"Can you speak to them over distances?" Hinata asked once she saw where Naruto was heading with his questions.

"In a limited range. I can speak with them so long as they are one hundred meters from me. Any further and we risk being recognized by others. Only there is a problem." he stated in his usual monotone voice.

"What is it?" asked Naruto as he was trying to come up with a plan.

"To speak my insects make their noise. If Kurenai-sensei hears it she will kill them."

"We can't risk them just to find out where she is." Hinata said softly while Shino nodded his head very slightly to her. Luckily for her he looked away just in time so that he wouldn't see the faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"Hey guys?!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

"Naruto-kun! We are supposed to be tracking!" hissed Hinata while Naruto only smiled back at her.

"That's just the thing. If you were trying to hide from someone and you want to make it as hard as possible for them how would you do it?" he asked.

It took them a few minutes but soon Shino answered. "I would track them. Knowing where they are would give you a very large advantage. Especially when the ones that are tracking you are Genin and you are a Jounin. Also, Kurenai-sensei put in the stipulation that if we are seen we fail meaning as soon as we take on step outside of this clearing we would fail."

"So she is watching us right now?" Hinata asked calmly.

"More then likely." Naruto answered. "I have a plan but I need to know if you're ok with listening to me."

"I trust you." Hinata said right away.

"You have proven your skill by finding her true motives." Shino stated with a nod.

Naruto smiled evilly before he leaned and started whispering his plan. Once he was done Hinata and Shino weren't sure if he was a genius or crazy but none the less they were going to go along with it.

Kurenai watched from her hiding place and couldn't be happier with her team so far. Instead of running off in a panic to find her, they had chosen to stay together and form a plan before going out. They were already doing far better then her own team had done during their Genin exam.

As soon as he was done speaking, Naruto filled the clearing with clones only to have most of them disappear again. Meanwhile, after using the smoke as a cover, Hinata and Shino took off into the woods to search out their sensei after they made sure that Naruto had transformed two of his clones to look like the them. They only hoped that he had enough common sense to not make them act like him. Even the thought of a clone of him shouting made Shino cringe slightly.

Kurenai knew something was up once the smoke cleared and there were only nine extra Narutos standing with the group.

She then watched as the real Naruto bit his thumb and summoned a group of ten bright yellow snakes. _What is he thinking?! Those will stand out more then Guy in a room full of daimyos! _She thought before the Narutos formed a circle around 'Hinata' and 'Shino' and sat down.

Naruto and his clones sat with their eyes closed and their legs crossed as they began to devote every ounce of concentration they possessed to the task at hand. Each clone then formed the hebi seal and whispered. "Hebi Mitooshi."(Snake Perspective)

From her post, Kurenai watched their eyes snap open to reveal pure red eyes. Eyes that matched those of his summon perfectly. She might have been well accustomed to red eyes since she herself had them but there was something very different in his blood red eyes. _This must be a new jutsu!_ She thought excitedly. Her excitement quickly became confusion when she watched the snakes spread out and place themselves in front of each of the ten Narutos before turning towards the forest and simply stopping. _I know Naruto and this can't be it. _She thought quickly as she continued to watch.

Any Jounin will tell you that when they find a group of Genin that they like that they will never try as hard as they possibly could. All the time a Jounin will block their own skills so that the team has an easier chance of passing. Kurenai was no different. She wanted this team to pass so badly that her thoughts clouded her mind and hindered her skills in observation. Because of this handicap Kurenai soon found herself unable to look away from the red eyes of Naruto.

_Shit!_ She thought as she cursed herself for falling into a trap_. Well I guess this explains it. _When she heard a sudden buzzing coming from Naruto she knew that it was only a matter of time before she was found. This led her to feel torn. In one hand she was proud of her team for doing so well, while in the other her pride was taking a beating. Yes she wasn't trying her best but no Jounin expects to get caught or beaten as soon as she had.

She tried everything she could think of to look away from his eyes and as the rest of the snakes turned towards her direction she knew it was over. This was confirmed when a swarm of insects covered her body and Hinata and Shino carried her back into the clearing.

As soon as they set her down the extra Narutos and snakes disappeared along with the Hinata and Shino that were standing inside their circle.

"We did it!" Naruto shouted happily before he pulled them each into a tight hug. Hinata giggled happily at his behavior while Shino was slightly worried that this... hugging thing might be a regular occurrence.

"You pass. Although you did it a lot sooner then I had thought you would." Kurenai said proudly and yet a little bitterly.

"Kurenai-sensei, we know you were not trying your hardest. If you were there would have been no chance of us finding you." Shino said quietly although the insects around him buzzed happily.

"Yeah Kurenai-sensei. We all know that if you didn't want us to find you then we wouldn't have. If we could find you at your best then we wouldn't still be Genin. Let alone new Genin." Naruto continued for the quiet boy while Hinata nodded her head in agreement.

"I'm glad you understand but still... never mind. You guys did wonderfully. Now, where should we go to eat?" she asked and when Naruto's eyes lit up they all suppressed a groan. There was only one place in the village that Naruto ate at.

"Yay. Ramen... again." muttered Hinata earning her a light laugh from he new sensei as the four set off from their training ground.

"Naruto, just what the hell was that jutsu?!" Kurenai shouted at the blond boy as they all sat down at their favorite ramen bar. Favorite meaning the only one Naruto would let them eat at. Any time they tried somewhere else he would shout blasphemy and guilt them into going to Ichiraku's with some tale about how the old man and his musume might starve if they didn't eat there. It didn't help matters when Teuchi backed up his claim.

Kurenai simply couldn't take it any longer and had to find out what that jutsu was. If it could trap a Jounin in such a short time it must have been powerful. Let alone trapping Konohagakure's one and only Genjutsu Mistress who was supposed to be unparalleled when it came to sneaking through or avoiding traps.

"That is my new jutsu! I call it 'Snake Perspective'. It allows me to see with the eyes of the snake that is closest to me. The snakes I summoned I chose because they can see body heat as well as do a type of hypnosis when its pray stares into their eyes." he explained between bites of food.

"You put a lot of faith into an untested jutsu." Kurenai said calmly while Shino and Hinata suddenly looked at Naruto sharply.

"You mean it was untested?!" asked Hinata loudly while Naruto blushed guiltily. He had... forgotten to tell his team that part when he suggested it.

"It worked didn't it!" he finally shouted back only to have Shino and Hinata sigh and go back to their meal. It _had_ worked even if they still didn't like the idea of placing their futures in the hands of an untested jutsu.

"You know I'm going to have tell Anko-chan about this new jutsu." Kurenai said calmly while Naruto pouted a little.

"Fine." he suddenly smiled brightly. "I'm finally a shinobi!"

Hinata giggled slightly at his outburst while Kurenai shook her head and smile fondly at him.

"I don't want to ruin this for you three but from here on out it will only get harder and harder. As our team gets stronger we will be called upon to do increasingly more dangerous missions. Just because we are a tracking/scouting specialty team doesn't mean we won't get called upon to do other missions. While you should be proud of yourselves you need to keep in mind just what it will mean to be in this line of work." Kurenai said to them in such a way that even Naruto became quiet and thought about her words.

"So there is a chance we could be used to fight a battle?" Shino inquired calmly as he slid his empty bowl away from him and turned slightly to face his sensei.

"Yes. More then likely we will be called upon to do mainly fighting. Being a specialized team only means that when your specialty is needed you will be looked at first when they search for possible candidates for the mission." she explained.

The three hadn't really thought about that possibility. They had all assumed that they would always be sent to spy and not to fight. They knew now that it had been naive to think that way but no matter how old they seemed at times, they were still only twelve years old.

"Again I don't want you to worry about it to much. I will be with you guys for a long time and I refuse to let anything bad happen to you." Kurenai added once she saw that her words had taken root.

"Way to spoil the mood." Naruto grumbled suddenly causing Hinata to give a very unladylike like snort. Sadly for the shy girl it caused everyone else to stare at her.

"S-Stop it." she said shyly as her face flushed.

"Poor Hinata-chan." teased Kurenai while Naruto finally gave in and started laughing.

Not being one to take getting laughed at sitting down, at least not any more, Hinata suddenly smiled. "Naruto-kun, I seem to remember someone wanting to look just like their 'nee-chan' when they were little."

"So?" replied Naruto defensively, all traces of humor gone from his voice.

"I also remember that he had to wait until he became a Genin before he could finish. You see he was missing the hitai-ate so they decided to hold off on cutting his beautiful hair until he got one." she finished while Kurenai started looking like at him with an expression he really didn't like.

"M-My hair?" he chocked as he reached back on instinct and felt it to be sure it was still there. Of course he remembered saying it and a part of him still wanted to but his hair had been the same since Anko had first given him a bath and the only time he allowed it to be cut was to keep it at his waist.

"I believe the question now is what you will give us to keep this quiet from Anko-sempai." Hinata said slyly while Shino sat back and watched the whole thing in hidden amusement. He found that it was nice to see Hinata turn the tables on their blond teammate.

"I-I..." stated Naruto before Kurenai disappeared without another word. "Damn it Hinata-chan! She's gone to get my nee..."

He suddenly trailed off when she returned with a smirking Anko. He quickly fell out of his chair and began backing away from her as she pulled out a kunai and started towards him.

"Nee-chan, p-please listen to reason!" he stuttered nervously as Ayame and Teuchi walked in from the back to find Anko walking towards him with an odd gleam in her eyes.

"Now now. It won't be so bad, Naru-chan. You did always say that you wanted to be just like me." Anko said sweetly which seemed very oddly placed coming from her.

"What is happening?" Ayame whispered to Hinata as they all just watched Naruto say everything that he could think of to stop her.

"When Anko-sempai first found Naruto-kun he said he wanted to look just like her. Cloths and all. Well, since she had a hitai-ate her and Emi-san decided to leave his hair alone. More then likely it was because they just couldn't bring themselves to cut it so they said that once he became a shinobi they would cut his hair like hers. They both forgot until I reminded Kurenai-sensei and she left to get her and that is where we are now." she explained as they never took their eyes off the two. They both smiled evilly at the fact that Kurenai could be heard laughing and taunting Naruto from beside Shino.

Turning over only all fours, Naruto tried to run for it as best he could only to have Anko drop down onto his back and force him to the floor.

As she sat down on his back Anko looked back at Kurenai and said. "I think Tenten-chan should be here for this, don't you?"

Kurenai smiled widely before leaving again only to return with a bewildered looking Tenten.

"What the hell?! I was in the middle of training, Kurenai!" she shouted before she looked and saw Anko holding Naruto to the ground while she held a kunai to his hair. "NO!"

Anko looked back at Tenten and smirked. "You knew this day would come. Naru-chan has to be just like his nee-chan."

"For the love of all that is holy, please stop her!" Tenten shouted as she tried to get to them only to be stopped by Kurenai and Hinata.

"I love you Tenten-chan!" Naruto called out to her as if he were about to die.

"I love you too!"

As Anko began sawing at his hair Tenten started kicking and screaming again. When it was finally over Hinata and Kurenai let her go while Anko stood up and proudly showed off the long pony tail she had acquired.

Shino watched and couldn't help but feel confused. There was Anko, Hinata, and Kurenai laughing at the other two while they sat on the floor and held each other. Right when he was about to say something Teuchi beat him to it.

"It was just a hair cut. You act like it was the end of the world!"

Shino was very glad he had been cut off when the five females snapped their gaze towards him and glared.

"Tou-san, they are happy because they got to cut off Naruto-kun's hair. His hair was prettier then any woman's in this village so it is a plus for them to have it gone. Tenten-chan and Naruto-kun are acting this way because she really loved his hair and he has had it his whole life. It is more then 'just a hair cut'." Ayame snapped while he and Shino felt oddly inadequate when it came to woman and hair or even Naruto and hair.

Once Tenten had evened out the cut and styled it to look just like Anko's she stood and glared at them. "We will have our revenge. Come on Naruto-kun."

As she led Naruto from the stand everyone saw her turn back towards Anko and winked.

"So she was in on it?" Shino asked as he watched them leave.

"Yep. She was jealous of his hair too." Anko answered as she took Naruto's empty seat and joined the team. "So I take it you passed? I really would hate to have done that and have him not pass."

"They passed, the little brats. Caught me in less then twenty minutes. Your 'touto' has a new jutsu that is a real pain in the ass." Kurenai stated darkly while Anko smiled back at her patronizingly.

"My my. Are you losing your touch?"

Kurenai's eyes narrowed and she leaned in and whispered. "I'll show you how good my 'touch' is later."

Having seen all this before, Hinata turned towards Shino and motioned for him to follow her.

"When they get like that there is no stopping them. It's like they're in their own little world." she explained as she and the boy she liked so much started walking.

"I must admit that this team is rather... strange."

Hinata laughed happily at the understatement before replying. "You get used to it. If your lucky it will grow to a point where you look forward to it."

"It is entertaining. Naruto must have really liked his hair." he said while inside he was feeling something odd as he walked beside the pretty girl.

"It was more that, he hasn't ever had it any other way. When Anko-sempai found him and washed it, it was already down to his waist. He has kept it like that until now because it reminds him of what it was like."

"Then why force him to get rid of it?"

"Because it wasn't fair for him to have such beautiful hair while the rest of us have to work for it." she reasoned and even she knew she sounded childish.

"Being short won't change what it looks like."

"I know but it was also fun."

"It was... fun to watch." he agree before the two fell into a comfortable silence.

Meanwhile Tenten and Naruto were walking back towards her training ground holding hands and talking quietly.

"I know I wanted it like this but still it is a sudden change. My head feels so light." he complained yet again as he reached up with his free hand and gently ran his hand over his new hairstyle.

"Did I do a good job?" Tenten asked happily as she began bouncing up and down while waiting for his answer.

"It's perfect. It is just like Anko-nee-chan's." he stated with a smile which earned him a cheer and a kiss for his troubles.

As soon as his lips made contact with hers, Naruto slid his hand around her waist and pulled her against him. Neither realizing just how close they were to her training ground.

"MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! IT SEEMS I HAVE FOUND YOU IN A YOUTHFUL EMBRACE!" shouted an odd looking man in a green leotard-like training suit.

This was all that was needed for the two to jump apart and look around frantically. Finally they spotted her team watching them with varied reactions. Lee and Guy were smiling brightly while Neji sneered and glared at them.

"Sorry, Guy. Kurenai-sensei needed her for a moment." Naruto said as he once again felt his hair.

"Naruto-kun! What has happened to your hair?!" shouted Lee once he finally noticed.

"Nee-chan... felt like I needed a hair cut."

"Do not worry! Ones youthfulness is not measured by the length of their hair!"

"YOU ARE VERY CORRECT MY BEAUTIFUL STUDENT!" Guy said at his usual volume.

"Please don't leave me with them." Tenten whispered fearfully as she clung to Naruto's arm like a scared child. Not that he blamed her. There were times that even he wanted to run home crying to his nee-chan after a meeting with the two.

"Think of it as payback for running out on me when I had to talk to your parents." he whispered back and before she could respond he disappeared in a swirl of leaves while she was left to listen to her teammate and sensei shout about where 'youthfulness' comes from.

"How can you be with such... trash?" sneered Neji once he was able to look away from the horror that was his team and look towards Tenten.

"Naruto-kun is the nicest guy I have ever met. He treats me wonderfully and has a sense of humor. Plus he is very strong and will help anyone who asks. You, Neji, are a stuck up, self-absorbed prick. If you were compared to Naruto-kun it would be very easy to tell which one of you is 'trash'."

"I am a Hyuuga! No one speaks that way to..." Neji started before Tenten cut him off.

"I really don't care who you are or what clan you are from. The only Hyuuga I can stand to be around is Hinata-chan because she is nothing like the rest of you."

"Hinata-_sama _is weak and not fit to be called a Hyuuga!"

"She is stronger then you think." Tenten stated simply before turning back to the rest of her team and pulling them apart so they could continue training.

By the time Naruto was outside of his front door he could hear the unmistakable sounds of his nee-chan and her lover echoing throughout the apartment.

"Damn those two! It is only..." Naruto said before the front door opened quickly. Not wanting to see what he was sure to see, Naruto quickly covered his eyes only to hear laughter. Very slowly, Naruto peaked between his fingers to find Anko, Kurenai, and Ibiki sitting in the living room drinking tea.

"That wasn't funny!" he snapped as he walked into the room and sat down heavily beside Ibiki on the couch.

"Yes it was. You should have seen your face when we opened the door!" roared Anko as she and Kurenai were forced to hold each other up so that they wouldn't fall from their chair.

"What the well did I do to deserve this?! First you cut my hair, then you make me think your having sex! This is like the only time I HAVEN'T done anything to deserve this!"

"Was it really so bad hearing them?" Ibiki asked.

"Yes it is! I happen to hear it all the time."

"Are you jealous that I get to have my girlfriend live with us?" teased Anko only to have Naruto look at the floor while his face turned bright red.

"Psycho bitches." Naruto muttered under his breath so that only Ibiki could hear him.

"Did you say something?" Kurenai asked sweetly causing Naruto look startled.

"I-I said who wouldn't be jealous of you two? You are both beautiful and strong women."

"That isn't what you said, Naru-chan." teased Ibiki. "You called them..."

"I was told yesterday that you and I are close to our 'Rights'!" shouted Naruto quickly causing Anko to forget about what they were talking about and jump to her feet and pull Naruto into a dance much like he had done with Hinata.

"Why didn't you tell me yesterday?!" she yelled once she realized that he was a day late in telling her.

"Um... well... Yesterday Tenten-chan was over and I forgot. Can you blame me?" explained Naruto and when her gaze shot to Kurenai for a second he knew he had escaped a punishment.

"I understand but since you were late you have to tell me about this new jutsu that has Kurenai-chan so pissed." she offered while Kurenai started muttering about 'stupid Genin' and 'stupid jutsu making hell spawn'. Naruto figured that he was the cause of the last one.

"I love you too Kurenai-sensei!" he stated with a mocking smile only to get one from the woman in reply. "The jutsu is called 'Snake Perspective' and it allows you to see through the eyes of the snake closest to you. If that snake has any special properties in their eyes you gain them as well. The snake I used on Kurenai-sensei was a type of snake that sees body heat so if she was hiding, even under a genjutsu, they could find her. What she is so pissed about is the fact that she fell for my trap because what she didn't know was that that snake hypnotizes its pray causing them to stop moving. We knew she was watching us so I figured that if I did an unknown jutsu she would be drawn to look for clues as to what it does and when she looked at 'my' eyes she would became trapped. While I held her Shino and Hinata went to get her. Hinata used her Byakugan to search for traps while Shino used his bugs as a fail safe by wrapping her in them."

"They only asked what the jutsu was, not how you little brats caught me!" Kurenai shouted. She was not to happy with her performance and didn't like Naruto telling others about it.

"No we didn't but I'm glad he told us. This was as good for you as it was for them." said Ibiki calmly and when the red eyed woman looked at him questioningly he continued. "Kurenai, you are very well known as the best when it comes to scouting and avoiding traps. I know for a fact that no Jounin goes into their test taking it very seriously because no team really ever does anything. Since you like this team you cut down your abilities even more so that they had an even greater chance of passing. They and everyone else know that if you tried even half of your hardest they would never have even picked up your trail. When I said it was good for you I meant that it was good that you lost because now you know that even a would be Genin team can pull together and surprise us all."

Before Kurenai was even given a chance to respond Naruto felt the need to. "Wow, Scar-head. That was deep."

This cause Anko and Kurenai to snort and Ibiki to turn his glare towards the Genin.

"I was being serious you little shit!" he snapped.

"So was I." Naruto snapped right back but his was more of a mocking tone then anything.

"Why do I even try? This family is full of sarcastic psychos!"

"And yet here you are day after day." Anko replied only to have Ibiki finally give in and smiled.

_Even the mans smile is harsh. _Thought Naruto.

"So what do you have planed for tonight?" Kurenai asked Naruto suddenly.

"No clue. Tenten-chan might come over or I may go over to her house..." Naruto then suddenly remember what had happened with her tou-san. "... or I'll go get Hinata-chan and THEN go over to her house."

"Witnesses?" joked Anko.

"Yep."

"Why would you need a witness?" Ibiki wondered while Kurenai and Anko smiled.

"Naru-chan isn't on very good terms with Kenshin since he told him that he was dating Tenten-chan. He also made the mistake of telling them that he found her sexy and to be great kisser." explained Anko while Naruto blushed guiltily.

Ibiki looked at Naruto sadly but couldn't help but tease the poor boy. "Are you sure one witness is enough? Maybe you should go to the Hokage for bodyguards."

"Oh ha ha. You're really funny, Ibiki."

"Thank you."

"I wasn't serious."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Ok stop it you two." shouted Anko.

They both then turned towards the angry woman and asked. "Why?"

"Get out!" her and Kurenai ordered as they pulled the two to their feet and pushed them out the door.

"I didn't think we were that bad." Ibiki said sounding a little confused.

"I don't get it either. I... Wait a minute? I live here!"

Then it all made sense when they heard Anko shouting. "Damn Kurenai-chan! Wait until we get to our room!"

Both Naruto and Ibiki looked at each other before quickly disappearing.

"Why are they always like that?" Naruto whispered to himself as he reappeared outside of the gate and turned and walked off aimlessly. This seemed to be one of Naruto's favorite past times. When ever he was away from Hinata and Tenten and Anko and Kurenai were in one of their moods he would go out and just walk around the village or try and spy on some higher level shinobi's training.

If you asked those closest to him they would more then likely tell you that it was because Naruto was making up for lost time from when he was younger and couldn't step out in front of someone without getting beaten. They would be right too. Even after eight years, Naruto, in the back of his mind, still expected to wake up only to find himself four years old again and in the middle of another mob and this time Anko wouldn't be there to save him. Only, as odd as it seemed, this was his real life.

Many villagers and shinobi that pasted him did a double take when they saw him with his new hair style and some looked about ready to cry. Most of the shinobi had still held out hope that Naruto might not turn out like Anko but now that hope was gone. Fools hope really. Naruto had been a mini-Anko ever since he met her. There was nothing else he wanted growing up other then to be just like his nee-chan.

"Nee-chan." he said absently as he shook his head and again marveled at how light it felt. "I guess I got my wish after all."

"You really shouldn't talk to yourself, Naruto. People will start to think that you are even crazier then they thought." someone from behind him joked.

"Don't you have a class to teach?" Naruto asked his ex-teacher.

"Like you are one to talk. How many of my classes did you skip?" asked Iruka as he stepped up beside him and joined him on his walk.

"I was out trying to find you a medal for being the greatest teacher ever!"

"You and I both know you found my class boring."

"Yeah... well... After Anko-nee-chan I don't think you had much of a chance. She's crazy as hell but at least she was a lot of fun." Naruto told the man with a faint smile.

"So what are you doing? Shouldn't you be getting tested by Kurenai?" Iruka inquired.

"I'm walking around because Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei kicked me out so they could fool around. As for our test? We passed it in under twenty minutes." explained the boy while even Iruka was forced to stop walking as visions of Naruto's nee-chan and Kurenai flooded his mind. "Your thinking about them aren't you?"

"Naruto, I think you are one of the only man in this village that doesn't think about them." he countered, and it was true. Even to the none perverted men in the village those two were simply to much to not think about.

"Dirty old men. You stay way from my nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei!" he threatened darkly.

"Believe me when I say that I have no plans on dieing early." Iruka assured him quickly. While most men thought about them they never tried anything for many reasons. One and two were Anko and Kurenai themselves. Those two hated perverts and didn't take well to being hit on by guys just wanting a three-way. Not that it would happen anyway. Anko and Kurenai had absolutely no interest in any man. The third reason and one of the biggest was Naruto. No one wanted to get on the bad side of a demon vessel who had been raised by Anko and trained in all her methods of torture. While the other two were powerful in their own right Naruto was a monster when it came to shear power. Also when it came to his nee-chan or any of his friends, Naruto became very protective.

"At least your smart. Kurenai-sensei told me a few days ago about a man that came up to them while they were out on a date and offered them a 'once in a lifetime chance'. Needless to say I don't think him going to the hospital was what he had in mind." growled Naruto. When he had first heard this it took the two of them and Ibiki to stop him from going to the hospital and ending the mans life.

"You are going to have to learn that your nee-chan and Kurenai are a pair worth talking about. They are beautiful and strong women and most men found them irresistible when they were single so now that they are together it is even harder to think of them without falling under their spell."

"All they want is to be left alone so why can't those perverts understand that?!"

"You just answered yourself right there. They're perverts." Iruka said calmly once he saw Naruto talking himself into another pervert induced rage.

"Fucking perverts. The world would be a lot better without them." Naruto muttered to himself as he and Iruka reached a fork in their path.

"I'll see you later, Naruto. I really should get back to my class."

With that Iruka started off down the right path leaving Naruto to take the left. He knew where this one went and felt a little torn about it. Further down the path was a small bridge that he loved to visit because it gave a beautiful view of near by sakura trees. He felt torn because it was also the entrance to Training Ground 7. The very same training ground that the Uchiha and his harpy were more then likely at. After weighing his odds, Naruto decided that even they were worth meeting so long as they didn't bother him to much.

Once he arrived he was pleased to find the bridge empty so with an effortless leap, Naruto jumped onto the railing and sat down. Sakura trees in Konohagakure had to be one of the best views anywhere in the Elemental Counties and one of the only reasons Naruto remotely put up with Haruno Sakura was because of her hair color. Like her name implied she had beautiful pink hair. _Now if only she wasn't a complete bitch and didn't have that shrill voice that you could hear from Suna. _He thought with a light chuckle.

Even he had to admit that Konohagakure had more then its fair share of beautiful woman and he felt himself lucky to have some of the most beautiful as his nee-chan, sensei, best-friend, and girlfriend. Oddly enough it never even struck him as funny that he had no male friends. Shino and Ibiki were the closest but those were hardly a friendship. A part of him knew that if he did have male friends that he would never hear the end of how 'hot' his family and friends were.

Once when Kiba had told him that his nee-chan was hot Naruto had taken offense to it and poisoned him, giving him severe pains throughout his body for the rest of the day. When asked about it he said that his nee-chan was not 'hot', she was beautiful. For some reason Naruto felt saying a girl was hot was more out of lust then any true feelings. Which to any other boy his age was the same thing.

_Now Tenten-chan is hot, sexy, and beautiful all at the same time. _Thought Naruto as a small perverse giggle escaped his lips much to his horror. He was a pervert! "At least it's only when it comes to my girlfriend."

"What is?" asked a very familiar voice from behind him.

This scared Naruto so badly that he forgot where he was and fell backwards onto the bridge only to find Aburame Shino looking down at him.

"Shino, you idiot! You scared the hell out of me!" Naruto shouted while his cheeks flushed a little from the embarrassing moment.

"My apologies." Shino offered with a slight bow.

"You are way to formal Shino. We are going to have to work on your people skills." stated Naruto as he and Shino sat down on the railing and looked out towards the trees.

"I find it odd that you of all people would say such a thing. I have heard that you kill more people then not." the quiet boy said in his usual emotionless tone.

"I haven't killed that much. Normally it was in self defense or when they said something really bad about Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei. Now if you asked me if I've hurt more people then not then that is a different story."

"Do you not find that you are excessively violent?"

"Sometimes. Like after my first kill. Anko-nee-chan sat me down and we talked for a long time about it. Don't ever let anyone tell you that it gets easier. If it ever does then that is when you should start getting worried about what you've become." Naruto answered truthfully.

"I have heard many people call you a demon and a monster. When I thought about it I found that it was even when we were younger and before you had killed anyone."

"They call me a demon because they are ignorant and looking for something to hate. They are the real monsters." Naruto spat and while Shino was surprised by the venom in his tone he didn't show it.

"I have asked Hinata about you and she has told me that you have led a hard life. I would like to hear more about this but it was not her place to tell me so I've come to ask you myself." Shino said calmly while Naruto could see that he was truly interested in his past.

"Do you want to know out of pure curiosity or because we are a team and you feel it is owed to you?" Naruto wondered.

"I will not lie to you. You past is something that I feel should be known by this team and since I am the only one without such knowledge I feel as though you should tell me. Do not think that I am demanding it of you. If you do not want to tell me then that is fine but I still wish to know."

"I'll tell you." sighed Naruto. "Really the whole thing starts when the Kyuubi attacked. The night the Fourth Hokage killed the demon is a lie told to us. We are lied to because instead of killing the demon the Fourth sealed its soul inside of a living vessel. When the Fourth died he wished for that vessel to be viewed as a hero but sadly our village was blinded by their hate for the thing that had taken so much from them that they passed their hate on to the child believing that it was the Kyuubi reborn. Seeing that the village was leaning towards killing the child the Third Hokage made a law making it treason to speak of the vessel and what truly happened that night. Without a way to vent their hatred the villagers and shinobi grew spiteful and this was picked up on by their children.

"As he grew up the child was forced to live on the streets because no one wanted to care for the 'demon'. He, the child, was beaten almost nightly for four years. For four years he had lived on the streets and ate from trash cans to stay alive. He wore clothing that others threw away and his only possession was a ratty teddy bear he had found in someones trash. One night the boy was caught by another mob and was being beaten when the most unlikely of people stepped in and stopped them. Later he would secretly refer to her, the person, as his 'Unlikely Angel'. She took him home and gave him a warm bath, or ten, and a place to sleep.

"The next morning she feed him and took him to meet some of her friends and that was when he met his very first friend and later girlfriend. Since the boy loved his 'nee-chan' more then anything, he even wanted to dress just like her, minus the skirt of course. Later he met his second friend in the park by the Hokage Tower. This friend was being teased and pushed around so the boy took it upon himself to stop it. Once the bullies were gone him and his new friend were going to swing only one of the kaa-sans didn't like how he had treated her musuko and chased him out of the park. After leaving he met his 'nee-chan' an the two went back to the Hokage's office where the boy was adopted and made the womans apprentice. After that the boy was happy beyond belief. Even the glares and words from the villagers and shinobi didn't seem to matter anymore. For the first time in his life the boy had friends and a family."

Outwardly Shino seemed just as calm as ever but steadily his insects started making more and more noise. "Please excuse me."

Naruto watched in confusion as his teammate stood and walk off back towards town. "I wish he would have said something to help me know why he's mad. Well I guess there is little I can do if he feels I'm the Kyuubi like everyone else."

Little did Naruto know just how wrong he was. Shino had not left feeling scared or disgusted with him. No. Shino had left because he was not sure if he was going to be able to keep his calm exterior up for much longer. While the Aburame Clan may seem cold and withdrawn to everyone else they were really just as emotional as any other people you would meet. Only in public did they seem devoid of human emotions and even then it took a friend of the clan to see how their emotions were displayed. When an Aburame is upset or feeling any other emotion besides serenity their insects reacted when they can not. If you ever met an Aburame that is filled with rage you would find yourself hard pressed not to shack with fear. This is one of the reasons Aburame try and stay calm. The insects they use can cause great damage if they were to be continuously riled.

Shino found himself walking faster and faster towards his clans sector as his control was slipping more and more. When the guards saw him they immediately opened the gate and let him in. To any other Aburame it was clear how close he had come to losing it and if it had happened his insects more then likely would have swarmed and taken out everything in there reach to try and calm their host. While they react to the emotions, the insects themselves do not understand them or their different meanings. To them love was the same as hate. Excitement was the same a dread.

As soon as the gates were closed and the outside wold was closed of Shino let his rage go. As the sounds of thousands upon thousands of insects filled the air, many stopped and went in search of the disturbance. Most were shocked when they found their clans prodigy and future head standing in the center of a sea of insects, while still others ran to check the other doors out of the sector. To keep them inside the Aburame Sector was completely closed off from the outside world thanks to a thin dome of chakra. This allowed air to come and go but nothing else. The only way the insects were allowed to leave were with their hosts.

"What is wrong my musuko?" asked a calm looking woman few outside of the Aburame clan had ever seen. Aburame Akiko was a strikingly beautiful woman with a grace and elegance about her that many women only dreamed of having. Her flowing black hair and iridescent green eyes seemed to be all the more noticeable when compared to her fair skin. She looked to be a frail woman but held an air of power that even Anko and Naruto would have noticed. Most Aburame would joke that she was the true leader of their clan because her shujin would do anything to see her happy. At her whim he would invade his own village and strike down the Hokage himself. Or at least try. She was also very well known for her insects. Instead of the Kikaichuu(Destruction Bug) that their clan was famous for having, Akiko harbored swarms of bright green dragonflies. Her inability to use the Kikaichuu's chakra absorption ability meant that she had to learn to fight another way. While her dragonflies could absorb chakra they could only absorb her own because anything else would have killed them. Yet she is not a weakling by any stretch of the word. In fact her taijutsu and kenjutsu were unsurpassed as far as their clan went. To them she was like a walking goddess and the fact that she could calm any of them and their insects with just one word only seemed to prove them right.

"I am troubled." Shino answered as he and his insects calmed. Once they were calm, Shino's insects left their place beside him and flew off towards the hive in the back of the grounds.

"What troubles you?" she asked as she seemed to glide towards him with such grace that many believed that she was floating along the ground.

"I have... learned some terrible things about our great village and I find myself losing faith." he explained as his kaa-san placed a single delicate hand on the back of his neck and pulled him towards her and laid his head on her shoulder.

"What have you learned that could cause such strife?" she inquired in her angelic like voice.

"The past of Mitarashi Naruto." Shino stated calmly while many around him stiffened and quickly left them alone.

"One of our villages worst moments." she said sadly. Akiko believed that Naruto was Naruto and if it hadn't been for the village's council forbidding it she would have taken the boy into her home in a heart beat. Sadly many of the Aburame didn't share her view but out of respect for her they said nothing.

"To a child. How could this great village have fallen so far?"

"A single black spot on the horizon will not take away from the beauty of a sunset." said a calm voice from the front of their home.

Without turning Shino knew who had spoken. Who wouldn't know their own tou-san by his voice? Aburame Shibi was a man that demanded the utmost respect and he was given it. As the leader of their clan Shibi was know throughout Konohagakure for his power and mystery. He wore the same clothing as his musuko save one thing. Shibi carried a gourd on his back that no one outside of the clan knew what it was for. Aside from that the man looked exactly like Shino. Shino could only hope that one day he would grow to be as large as his tou-san. While Shibi was not a big man he did cast a very large shadow.

"Do you believe Naruto to be simply a black spot?" asked Shino with a slightly edge to his tone.

The man didn't seem to notice the tone at all and replied. "A black spot is anything but simple, Shino. Given a closer look that spot could be something bringing great destruction or complete and utter joy. A spot on the horizon is never simple and should never be overlooked."

"Which do you believe Naruto is?"

"As of now he is a spot. Neither good nor bad. The boy is just a boy but he has been given the past and the power to change this village for better or reduce it to nothing more then a charred smear hidden away in the forests of Hi no Kuni."

"This does not help your troubled mind." Akiko stated only to feel her musuko nod against her. "Mitarashi Naruto is a brave boy and as loyal as they come. He would face an army by himself if the right person asked him to. Sadly he has very few people who matter to him so the ones he has he holds on to with an unbreakable grip. That boy will not be shaken from his path or dreams. Many in this clan... no, this village, and undoubtedly this world, see him as a reborn demon. If he were one it is a demon of their own making. As of now you will trust him and not look down on him until you are given a reason. You must remember how hard it can be to hold something inside of you while others around you cast fearful looks."

"I remember a young boy who came home in a swarm of insects crying because he had yet to make a friend because of them. That boy cursed his family and name for what they meant. As hard as it was for that boy at least he was given a family. Some are put here with his problem and no one to help them through it." Shibi said while Shino couldn't help but shiver at his past. It had been hard but he had always had his family. Naruto had not.

"While we must not be ruled by our emotions we can not seal them away. Everyone needs to express themselves." Akiko whispered to her musuko.

"I must think." Shino said calmly as he pulled out of his kaa-san's arms and walked past his tou-san and into their house.

While Shino was speaking with his parents, Hinata was having a far less pleasant _conversation_ with her tou-san and Neji. While Hyuuga Hiashi watched on, Neji spun around Hinata and slammed his palm into her spin yet again.

Even as she fell to the floor her imouto laughed cruelly and her tou-san's frown became more pronounced.

"My teammate told me you were strong. If this is strength then I would rather be a weakling." he sneered down at his itoko.

"Nee-san, is pathetic." sneered the little girl in the exact same way her itoko had.

"I a-am sorry." Hinata stuttered as she stayed down and held her stomach tightly while tears filled her eyes. Their words hurt so much more then any of Neji's blows.

"Stop that!" snapped her tou-san. "A Hyuuga does not cry!"

"I-I'm..." started Hinata before Hiashi cut her off.

"But then you were never a true Hyuuga. Leave now."

At her tou-san's dismissal Hinata stood and ran from the room so that they couldn't see the rest of her tears start to fall. As she ran past a few of the branch members gave her apologetic looks. _She is far to kind for this family. _They thought sadly before turning and going about their business and before long all thoughts of the heiress were forgotten.

Once Hinata was in her room she quickly ran to her dresser and pulled out a medical salve she had made. If she didn't get to her black eye and busted lip soon enough they would be seen and she didn't want her friends and team to think she was weak. Once the jar was placed back in her dresser, Hinata walked over to her bed and laid down facing away from the door. Her room was beautiful to anyone who bothered to look. She had turned her love of flowers and flower pressing into more then a hobby as they now decorated her room. The white walls and white linens seemed to be perfect yet it also seemed like a place of great sadness. Very slowly Hinata reached under her pillow and pulled out a photo of the one people who had loved her more then anything. Her kaa-san. Hyuuga Hitomi was a very joyous person and loved helping others. In the photo her and her shujin held a smiling and laughing Hinata. This had been the last photo taken before her kaa-san was stolen from her and her tou-san lost his smile. As she gently traced their faces she let out a pained sob. Her vision of her once loving parents was broken up as tears stung her eyes.

No matter how brave a face she put on she still missed her kaa-san and missed the way her tou-san used to look down at her and smile. The saddest part of all was that she missed her tou-san more then anything and he was only a matter of feet from her. She knew her kaa-san was gone and prayed that she was happy in the next life but her tou-san was here... or rather he was lost in that cold shell of a man that called himself her tou-san. She couldn't count the number of times she had thought about Naruto's offer from four years ago. Some nights she wanted to run away and never look back. The bad nights were when she had even packed her things but stopped just as she reached the compounds walls. No matter how bad it got she just couldn't take that last jump to freedom. Thoughts of her tou-san smiling again raced through her mind and pulled her back to her 'home'.

At least she had her team now. At least she had missions that might take her way from her home. At least she had Tenten and Anko. At least she had Shino no matter how much of a dream that was. At least she had Naruto, the one person she knew would do anything just to see her smiling, even if it cost him his own happiness. She had her clan, but they were her family.

"I'm going out." she said to herself as she wiped her eyes and put her photo back under her pillow before walking out of her room. On her way out she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Watch were your going!" shouted her imouto hatefully before she realized who had ran into her. Even as she did her look seemed to grow even colder. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Hinata said simply before pushing past her and down the hall.

"Out with you pathetic friends?" Hanabi teased only to have Hinata ignore her and keep walking.

As soon as she stepped outside she shivered. It seemed far to cold for this time of year. Ducking her head and wrapping her arms around her waist, Hinata walked right past the guards without a single word.

She walked aimlessly for what seemed like hours until she ran head first into someone who seemed to be doing that same.

"Please excuse... Hello Hinata. I apologize, I wasn't watching where I was going." Shino said softly as he helped the girl to her feet.

"N-No, it was my fault. I was so caught up in my thoughts I wasn't paying any attention." she stuttered slightly once she realized who it was.

"If you don't mind my asking, what has you thinking so hard?"

"My clan." she whispered as she and Shino turned and began walking together. "You?"

"Naruto." Shino answered simply but that was all Hinata needed.

"He told you then." she said rather then asked.

"Yes and my kaa-san and tou-san seemed to want to speak in nothing but riddles today."

"I don't think I've ever seen your kaa-san." Hinata said once she thought back on it.

"Very few outside of my clan have. My kaa-san is like a goddess to them. We joke that she is the real leader of our clan because my tou-san would do anything for her."

"She must be an amazing woman to make people think that." she said while sounding slightly nervous.

"She is. Your kaa-san passed away, did she not?" Shino asked in a way that didn't seem nearly as cold as his words would have been otherwise.

"Six years ago. She died during childbirth."

"It must be hard."

"It is. I have many people to fill the void but it is never the same." she admitted as she took a not so small amount of comfort from being next to Shino.

"I can not image losing my kaa-san or the pain it would bring." Shino said softly as they passed a small business that offered a place to sit and order tea or coffee. "Would you like to go inside? It would probably warm you up."

Hinata looked at the place and back to Shino. "I-I didn't bring..."

"It will be my treat." he offered and since Hinata didn't have any other reason not to she walked into the shop next to Shino and immediately felt a lot warmer.

While Hinata sat down at a small out of the way table she couldn't help but feel a little giddy about bing in such a place with Shino. She knew it wasn't a date but she also knew that this might be as close to one as she'll ever get to go on with the quiet boy.

When Shino came back with a tray with two coffees and two teas on his Hinata looked at him curiously. "I wasn't sure what you wanted so I got two of both."

Hinata, having never tried coffee before, took a rather large drink but immediately scrunched up her face and set the cup down. She looked up to find Shino looking at her and... was he smiling? Once she had the horrid tasting liquid down her throat Hinata quickly grabbed the tea and took a large gulp of it.

"It is an acquired taste I suppose." Shino said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I don't think I want to 'acquire' any form of coffee for the rest of my life." Hinata muttered while Shino seemed to give another small smile. "So... How do you feel about Naruto-kun now that you know?"

Shino took one more long sip before cupping it in his hands to warm them. "I don't know how I see him. He is Mitarashi Naruto. How can you define that?"

Hinata gave a lightly laugh and nodded her head. "Naruto-kun is... different. So am I correct in assuming that you don't see him as what others do?"

"You would be correct. Naruto is Naruto. Good or bad I haven't decided but like my kaa-san said. I will trust him until he gives me a reason not to." he answered earning him a crooked smile from the young woman across from him that caused that odd feeling to begin to stir again.

"You better be careful or before you know it you will be trapped in this little family and then he'll be your problem as well as mine and Tenten-chan's." Hinata threatened jokingly.

"Why not Anko and Kurenai-sensei?" he wondered.

"They're as bad as he is most of the time. Anko-sempai is a older, female form of Naruto-kun and poor Kurenai-sensei has been corrupted from years of exposure." Hinata answered as she pretended to wipe tears from her eyes.

"I see that you fit into this group nicely." Shino shot back at her only to receive an indignant look in reply. "Tenten must be an angel to put up with you four."

"Don't count her out just yet. Tenten-chan is a weapons mistress and will have you filled with shuriken and kunai the second you cross her. She is the type that loves to train and loves a good fight. Sometimes Naruto-kun will tease her or make her mad just so she can attack him without feeling bad."

"Brave man. Foolish, but brave."

"He loves her." replied Hinata with a shrug. "He would do anything to see her happy so if she wants to hit someone with kunai he'll be right there as her target. Odd form of love, I know, but that's what you get with them."

"But they seem happy."

"They are."

"That is all that matters then." Shino said calmly before the two fell into an easy silence.

After Shino had left, Naruto was soon found by team seven as they made their way towards their training ground.

"What are you doing here?" sneered Sasuke while Sakura simply copied him and Kiba looked like he wanted to die.

"Watching the sakura trees." Naruto answered simply without looking back at them. He was then joined by Akamaru who jumped from Kiba's head to the railing. "If you want to sit and watch them with me please be quiet."

Never being one to listen to anyone Sasuke pressed on. "Don't you have a test to take or did you already fail?"

"No we already passed. Our test was at five o'clock this morning. Your sensei doesn't seem to be the 'early bird' type now does he." he answered while not sounding hateful at all.

"Works for me if it means I can sleep more." Kiba said as he sat down beside Akamaru and started petting him.

"Passed already? Your sensei must be a weakling. Come to think of it she did seem to be more bust then brains." mocked Sasuke only to have Naruto appear in front of him and push a kunai against his throat.

"Kurenai-sensei is a wonderful woman and an excellent sensei. If you speak ill words towards her again I will kill you."

Suddenly there was a cloud of smoke behind Naruto.

"Please let go of my student or I will have to force you." said the man known as Hatake Kakashi as he pressed a kunai into the small of Naruto's back.

"If you are a competent sensei you would teach the Uchiha here not to mock a persons sensei." Naruto said without removing the kunai.

"Please remove the kunai now." he repeated in a much harder tone.

"Whatever you say Scarecrow-teme." mocked Naruto as he removed his kunai while a quick look of relief washed over Sasuke's face. He then turned back to Sasuke and leaned in as if to whisper something. "Fukumikuchi Hari."

The next thing anyone knew Naruto had spat a single needle into his ear causing him to flinch back and dig at it.

"I would hurry and test your team, Scarecrow-teme. Uchiha only has another hour before his joints freeze." Naruto then turned and walked away leaving a glaring Kakashi and Sakura behind him while Kiba watched him leave with a neutral expression.

Once he was far enough away Naruto gave into the laughter that had been building up inside of him. He hadn't actually used any of his needles. All he had done was spit air into his ear but it was enough to leave him paranoid for the next hour. This meant that he was going to rush everything while trying to get it done inside the hour.

"Guess who?" said a person behind him as they slid their hands over his eyes.

Of course he knew who it was. After years of knowing her he could tell Tenten's touch from only a slight rub.

"Emi-chan, you came! I want hoping you could get away from Kenshin in time for our date." Naruto teased before he spun in her arms to find a not to happy Tenten looking back at him. "Oh it's just you."

"Why you little..." she started only to be cut off when Naruto gently pressed his lips to hers. As they kissed neither paid any mind to the fact that they were standing in the middle of the street.

"Please tell me that you weren't thinking of my kaa-san while you were kissing me." Tenten joked as she leaned her head onto his shoulder and hugged his arm.

"I couldn't help it. Emi-chan is just so sexy." he teased only to feel a very large hand fall onto his shoulder. "Oh shit."

"So my kanai is sexy?" asked Kenshin while Emi stood there laughing.

Naruto look at Tenten and huffed. "You couldn't have told me they were with you? Now I've revealed my true feelings for your kaa-san."

"Watch it. I'm letting you date my musume so be happy." Kenshin growled good-naturedly.

"Letting? If I remember I ran out of the room because you cut the chair I was sitting in it two."

"If I remember it was because you said she was sexy and a great kisser." Kenshin countered while his handed tightened around Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm not scared of you, ji-san. I know your weakness!" boosted Naruto while even Emi looked at him in confusion.

"Oh yeah?" the large man challenged.

"Tenten-chan." Naruto said as he motioned for her to go ahead.

As if they had spoken about it before, Tenten stepped forward and gave her tou-san her best pair of puppy dog eyes and her cutest pout. "Tou-san. Please let Naruto-kun go. I love him. Don't you want me to be happy?"

Emi watched as her shujin's resolve crumbled like a house of cards and couldn't help but feel proud of the two. Although she also felt a little worried that both Tenten and Naruto had already learned how to manipulate her shujin so easily. She would definitely have to keep a closer eyes on things if that was the case.

"Of course I do. Why don't you and Naruto go out for a little while? I'll even give you some extra money." Kenshin said as he dug his hand into his pocket and handed Tenten all the money without even looking at it. Only Emi sighed and took the money back before giving Tenten a much smaller amount.

"Bye!" Tenten called after her parents while they heard Kenshin telling his kanai how wonderful their musume was.

"I think you over did it a little. You almost broke him." Naruto teased as he slid his hand into hers and pulled her along the road.

The two walked and hold hand as the told each other about the rest of their day. Of course Tenten made it a point to tell him that his new hair style looked much better then his old one but he assumed that she was just trying to help him get over his feeling of loss. They were in the middle of him telling her about his talk with Shino when she stopped and stared gapingly into one of the nearby shops.

"What is it? I'm not going to have to go cloths shopping am I, because you take forever an..." he started before Tenten grabbed his head and forcefully made him look to find Shino and Hinata sitting in a quiet little coffee shop talking. "Well I'll be damned."

"Are they dating? Wouldn't Hinata-chan have told us?" Tenten asked as she pulled him out of the view of the window so that the two wouldn't see them.

"I don't think they are. Hinata-chan isn't blushing. I do think that they are getting closer to dating though." he answered softly even though there was no way the two could have heard them even if they spoke in normal tones.

"Should we interrupt them and tease them or leave them to themselves?" she asked.

"Leaving them to themselves would he the nice polite thing to do." reasoned Naruto.

"So we go in and start teasing?"

"Of course!"

"... and that is the in depth meeting of Uzumaki Naruto, soon to be Mitarashi, and Hyuuga Hinata." stated Hinata as she finished telling Shino how Naruto had saved her. Yes she had told him a little of it before but this time she told him all of it.

Shino shook his head in amusement as she finished the story. The more he learned about their blond teammate it seemed the less he knew. "Didn't it bother you that he had just stabbed someone?"

"Of course but he was so cute and nice that I didn't care. I never told him but after that I had a _huge_ crush on him. I only finally got over that once I saw that Naruto-kun and Tenten-chan liked each other. It was soon after that I realized that my feelings had turned more towards him being my 'nii-chan' then a potential boyfriend. Plus I didn't want to have to fight Tenten-chan for him. She could he very possessive when it came to him. I once spent the night at her house and found out she had a picture of him she like to practice kissing with." As soon as the words left her mouth she heard a loud groan from somewhere nearby them. Turning Hinata and Shino saw Naruto and Tenten standing there, the latter looking rather embarrassed.

"Well now! We came in here to tease the two of you but instead I find out something embarrassing about Tenten-chan." Naruto said happily as he and Tenten sat down across from each other at the table.

"Sorry, Tenten-chan." Hinata said while her face turned a bright red.

"It's ok." Tenten sighed. "If he teases me to much I can start telling Shino about some of his embarrassing moments."

"Like what?" asked Naruto when nothing came to mind.

"Like Kuma-chan." offered Tenten with an evil smirk while Naruto paled.

"Leave her out of this!"

"Isn't it odd that you still call her a 'her' and not an 'it'?" she teased while Hinata snickered into her hand and Shino looked like he wanted to know more.

"I-I... well..." stuttered Naruto who now looked completely flustered.

"Kuma-chan is Naruto-kun's teddy bear. When he was younger he was going to become Hokage and make her is top adviser. Naruto-kun refused to get rid of it over the years and still has it sitting in his bed to this day." explained Hinata without a second thought.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted as his cheeks turned red.

"Sorry. It just come out. Like the time Tenten-chan tried on one of her kaa-san's bras and asked if you would like her more if she had bigger..." Hinata started before Tenten shrieked and covered her mouth, only the damage was done.

"So who was going to make fun of who?" asked Shino calmly as he sipped his tea while the two people in question sulked.

"That's not fair. We can't make fun of Hinata-chan because your here!" Tenten whined.

"Why would that matter?"

"Because she likes you..." Tenten said absently before an odd sound came from Hinata. "Damn it! Hinata-chan wait!" she shouted as she ran after the blushing girl.

"See." offered Naruto lamely.

"I do."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I do not know." Shino admitted quietly as he set down his cup. "I'll admit that she is very pretty and I enjoy talking with her but I am worried."

"About what?"

"If we were to start dating and it not work out it could cause problems within our team."

"Shino, it may not be my place to say this but let tell you this much. The life of a shinobi is to short to worry about what could happen. The way I see it is this. If you are good to her and try your best to make her happy I don't see why it wouldn't work out. If you do this then even if it doesn't it shouldn't leave any animosity between you. On the other hand if you start dating and you are an ass to her the least of your problems are going to be our teamwork." Naruto's voice turned very cold at the last part and even Shino couldn't suppress the shutter moving up his spine.

"I am not the type to 'be an asshole' towards anyone. Least of all a woman I like." Shino said calmly before muttering something that sounded a lot like 'or my kaa-san would kill me'.

By the time Tenten had managed to drag Hinata back into the shop, Shino had long since come to an answer.

As a red faced Hinata sat down and stared at nothing but the table in front of her, Tenten looked across the table to a smirking Naruto.

"Hinata, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me on a date sometime?" Shino asked as he too stared at the table. He looked up to find Hinata nodding shyly as her face turned an amazing shade of red.

"I believe we'll be going." announced Naruto before he grabbed Tenten and disappeared.

"Aw!" cried Tenten once she realized she was no longer sitting with the two love birds but standing in front of her house. "I wanted to watch them squirm some more!"

"Be nice. Because of you Hinata-chan almost died of embarrassment. You can tease them plenty the next time you see them."

"Really! You mean it?" Tenten shouted excitedly and childishly while her eyes danced with hidden laughter.

"Only if you finish your homework and give me a kiss."

"I don't know. Tou-san always told me never to kiss a strange man no matter how good looking they were." Tenten said innocently.

Naruto leaned in very close and whispered. "Tou-san isn't here though, is he?"

"No he isn't." answered Tenten before she wrapped her arms around his neck and very slowly began to kiss him.

Once the two finally stopped Tenten sighed and whispered. "I really do love you Naruto-kun."

"I love you too, Tenten-chan. Now you better go before your tou-san tries to kill me again." he advised while Tenten kissed him one last time before disappearing into her house.

As soon as he appeared out side of his front door he had to drop to the floor as a picture flew over his head and smashed against the opposite wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you too?!" Naruto yelled as he stood up to find Anko and Kurenai glaring at each other, both with even more objects in their hands. "Put those down!"

"Don't think you can order..." started Anko before Naruto cut her of.

"NOW!"

Despite themselves, Kurenai and Anko both did as he ordered.

"I don't care what happened or who did what but you will not act like this any longer! You will sit down and talk it out or so help me I will summon Manda to deal with you!" ordered Naruto while the two very slowly walked towards the couch and sat down, both still glaring at the other.

Naruto watched Anko and Kurenai glare at each other until suddenly Kurenai started crying. As if nothing had happened before, Anko moved to hold her lover.

"Good going, Naruto!" hissed Anko as she gently rub the brunettes back.

Naruto stared at the two in disbelief. "What the hell did I do?!"

"You shouldn't have yelled at us." Anko said as if it were obvious.

"You were throwing things at each other and smashing everything within reach! What the fuck was I supposed to do?!"

"I-It isn't his fault, Anko-chan." Kurenai whispered before turning towards Naruto and explaining. "I'm sorry. Anko-chan and I were fighting and when you came home and saw it and started yelling I just got a little emotional."

"Do I even want to know what you were fighting about?" Naruto asked as he dropped down heavily into on of the chairs and looked at them with a tired expression.

"That is none of your business!" snapped Anko which made it obvious who's fault it was.

"So it was your fault."

He felt as though it was the right thing to say when Kurenai giggled slightly. Even Anko smiled slightly when she saw that is was making her lover smile.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-chan." Anko whispered only to feel the woman in her arms nod.

"So why were _you _throwing things anyway?" he asked his nee-chan while Kurenai wiped her eyes one last time and looked to see Anko smirking.

"It looked like fun."

"You mean to tell me that you took advantage of your girlfriends anger to smash your own things?" he asked in a way that made it seem as though he just wanted to understand her logic.

"Yep!" Anko said brightly with Kurenai an Naruto both shook their heads and left the room. After jumping out of her seat to follow them she found Naruto standing in the bathroom door talking to Kurenai as she tried to make it look as though she were never crying. "Why did you leave?"

"Because you are a crazy bitch." Naruto said without even looking back at her. He regretted this when Anko kicked him in the back of the knees and forced him to the ground.

"Now now little Naru-chan." threatened Anko as she slowly slid a kunai across his cheek. "I might start to think that you really meant that."

"You know I love you nee-chan but you really are a crazy bitch." Naruto insisted and for a while Anko seemed to think about it before she finally nodded and let him get up.

"So what are we going to do about dinner?" Kurenai asked once she turned around and leaned against the sink in time for Anko to wrap her arms around her waist.

"I know! We can..."

"NO!" shouted Kurenai and Anko before Naruto could even finish.

"You didn't even let me finish!" he whined as he crossed his arms in front of he chest and pouted.

"Yeah. We had NO idea what you were going to say." Anko stated sarcastically.

"I know. How rude of us! Come now, Naru-chan, tell us where you wanted to go!" Kurenai continued while Naruto suddenly started shifting nervously.

Truthfully he only knew of one place to eat so he knew they had him just as they knew it too. They watched Naruto squirm for a few moments before bursting into pearls of laughter.

"Um... Why don't we stay home and I'll cook dinner for Konohagakure's most beautiful lesbian couple?" he offered knowing full well that it wasn't any better then going out. From growing up with Anko he had only learned to cook the same things she could. Only he was a lot better at it then she was if you asked Kurenai. Anko was many things but a great cook was not one of them.

"Do you really think we're the most beautiful?" asked Kurenai as if it were a very high honor when in fact they were the ONLY openly lesbian couple in Konohagakure that Naruto knew of.

"Err... You bet!"

"Come on Naru-chan. You have dinner to make!" Anko stated happily as she and her lover walked passed him and into the dinning room before Naruto followed and started cooking.

The meal was spent like any other. Meaning that Naruto got made fun of and Anko and Kurenai made not so secret plots against him and Tenten. It was when he was half way through washing the dishes when he remembered Hinata and Shino.

"You guys won't believe it but guess who is going on a date soon?" he asked calmly, perking their interest.

"Who?" inquired Kurenai as she and Anko sat on the couch and shuffled through mission reports that seemed to be long over due.

"Tenten-chan and I found Shino and Hinata-chan getting cozy in a coffee shop and one thing led to another and before we left Shino asked her out." he half explained. He really didn't plan on telling them that Hinata had made fun of them so badly.

To Naruto giggling girls were bad enough but when Anko and Kurenai giggled it was just... wrong. It still shocked him when they acted like normal women and he didn't think it was ever going to get better.

"I also met Scarecrow-teme and his team."

"Scarecro... Oh! Kakashi!" shouted Kurenai once she figured out who he was talking about. "Please tell me you didn't do anything."

"Define 'anything'." came her reply causing her to groan and Anko to laugh. "It really wasn't my fault. I was sitting on the bridge by training ground seven watching the sakura trees when his team showed up. Kiba was fine but the Uchiha started in on me and he ended up saying something stupid so I place a kunai at his throat. Scarecrow-teme showed up and held one against my lower back and told me to let go. After a bit of a stand off I left."

"What did he say that got you so angry?" asked Kurenai while Anko looked at her in a way that seemed to asked if she was kidding. They both knew that it didn't take much at all for Naruto to get angry and even less when it came to the Uchiha. In fact the only people he didn't lose his temper with were Tenten, Hinata, and Kurenai. Him and Anko were at each others throats all the time but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"He asked why I wasn't taking my sensei's test and when I said we had passed ours already he made a comment about your test being easy because you looked like you had more bust then brains." answered Naruto and without warning he was picked up and slammed into a nearby wall by a very angry Anko.

"What did you say?!" she hissed.

"I said that HE said it. That is why I got so angry. If you would listen to people when they speak you wouldn't make such an ass out of yourself all the time!" Naruto snapped as he broke her grip and slid gracefully back down to the ground while Anko looked like a puppy who had been yelled at. "I can understand getting angry but you really need to listen to who said it."

"Sorry." she muttered before walking back to the couch and sitting beside a still calm looking Kurenai.

"I've heard all that before and it really doesn't bother me anymore. Personally I'm just surprised that the Uchiha even knows what breasts are!" she joked and it paid off when the other two snorted with laugher. "Although next time I see Kakashi I'm going to have a talk with him about teaching his team some respect and about pulling a kunai on our little Naru-chan!"

"That's right!" roared Anko as her blood began to boil again. "How dare he do that to MY touto?!"

Normally Naruto would have stopped them much like Kurenai had moments ago but two reasons stopped him. One was that is was going to be funny to watch Kakashi get his ass kicked and second was that he was slightly afraid to speak right now as Anko began to recite her favorite list of ways to castrate a man using only a garden snake, some rubber bands, and a box of toothpicks. As her touto he knew that he was safe from ever suffering such a horrible fate, but as a man the list still left him with nightmares. Especially when he realized how much thought his nee-chan must have put into castrating a man to even create such a list.

Rather then interrupt her, Naruto did the safest thing and slowly left the room and made his way towards his. After walking to his bed and falling face first into it, Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. It had been a very long day for the blond haired demon vessel and he could only hope that the next was a little easier.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

A week. A week of absolute hell. A week of waking up every morning only to wish that those around you would finally end your suffering and kill you. It had only been one week. It had only been one week for Naruto and the rest of Team 8 and they were sick and tired of the life of a shinobi. It was disgusting, amoral, degrading, and just plain wrong. It was nothing like the life of action and adventure they had envisioned. This was how they felt after just one week of doing D-Rank missions for their Hokage. It had been a week of babysitting, clearing the trash out of parks, picking vegetables for an injured farmer, and clearing out some rats from the villages sewer system. A week of absolute hell.

"I don't know what you expected." Kurenai told them as they walked back towards the Hokage Tower after finally catching a screeching demon named Tora.

The evil cat ran away twice a day and the Hokage seemed to get some perverse joy from sending them to get her every time. Only this time it ended without Naruto covered in cuts and blood. After a... helpful suggestion from their sensei, Naruto quickly became hated by his teammates. He could have used his clones. He could have used his clones on every one of their missions so far. They soon found that if Naruto chased the cat enough it would willing jump into Hinata's arms to escape him. Of course Naruto had summoned a few snakes to help him... 'catch' the furry little demon.

"Tenten-chan said it would be bad but this is... this is so far beyond 'bad' that I want to die every morning!" cried Naruto while Shino gave him a soft pat on the back.

The quiet boy was still the quiet one of the group but he was quickly opening up. Naruto teased him a lot saying that Hinata must be giving him 'lessons'.

"It isn't that bad." scuffed Kurenai only to look away from the combined glares of her team. It wasn't that bad... for her.

"Says the woman who has yet to do _anything _but watch us suffer!" shouted Hinata.

"Hey!" countered Kurenai. "I paid my dues. You seem to forget that _everyone _has D-Rank missions in the beginning! Well... everyone but Anko-chan. She was an apprentice and even after she was on a team she had the Hokage so scared of her that he gave her whatever mission she wanted."

"My nee-chan is so cool!" shouted Naruto happily while Shino and Hinata silently wished for him to start terrorizing the Hokage so they could get out of these... missions.

"It won't work." Kurenai whispered to them. When they looked back at her she continued. "The Hokage has long since learned how to deal with them. If they try anything he threatens to have every place in Konohagakure ban them from buying ramen and dango."

"That would work." Shino said sounding both put out and bitter. The Hokage knew a way to make them both as harmless as a puppy if he wanted to and Shino did not like that. Naruto's reputation and sadistic streak got them out of many jobs but it would seem that even he couldn't overcome the Hokage.

"I'm kind of glad." Hinata stated as she continued to pet the cat in her arms. "Think what it would be like around here if those two could control the Hokage so easily!"

"What are you three talking about?" inquired Naruto only to have Kurenai laugh at him in return.

Hinata was right. If Naruto and Anko had their way then the only food in Konohagakure would be ramen, dango, and eggs and everyone would be forced to called them master or mistress.

"Nothing Naru-chan." teased Kurenai only to have Naruto's eyes harden.

"Kurenai-sensei, why is it that you always have us walk back to the Hokage Tower? You know we could be there a lot faster if we ran." Shino asked, forgoing any fight that might have broken out between the two.

Kurenai gave a warm heartfelt laugh that lasted for a few minutes before she had calmed down enough to answer. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet. If it takes us longer to get back then it's longer between D missions."

With that said her team stopped in the middle of the street and stared at her as if she were an angel. Even Shino looked very pleased with her.

"Stop it." she said shyly as she blushed under their stares. "I remember how missions were and while I won't help you, I'm not about to make you take shitty mission after shitty mission."

The next thing they knew Naruto jumped into the air and grabbed hold of their sensei and hugged her tightly. "I love you Kurenai-sensei!"

"Naruto! Get off of me!" she shouted as people started to stare at them.

"But I love you!" he cried as he rubbed his cheek against her hair.

While their sensei tried to get the very happy demon vessel off of her, Hinata and Shino were watching the whole thing and laughing. Well, Hinata was. Shino's bugs were just making more noise so they assumed that was laughter.

Kurenai finally gave up when Naruto was latched onto her leg and dragging behind her. She walked beside Shino and Hinata with as much dignity as one can while a twelve year old blond clings to their leg. Hinata couldn't help but laugh at the fact that even though Naruto was being drug through the dirt, his expression of awe and love never changed.

Even when they came to the stairs leading into the tower Naruto held on, although by now Kurenai was having fun dragging him through mud puddles and into bits of trash. Yes she had to walk through them too for this to happen but she felt it was worth it.

"Team 8 reporting. Mission successful." Kurenai stated as they stood in front of their Hokage and a room full of other shinobi who were coming back from their mission. Of course everyone was staring at them oddly because of Naruto.

"Um... I think you stepped in something." joked the Hokage as he pointed to a very dirty and wet Naruto.

"I gave him some good news and he jumped on me. He wouldn't let go and this was the best I could do." she explained while a faint blush formed on her cheeks.

"YOSH! THE EVER YOUTHFUL TEAM GUY REPORTING! OUR YOUTHFUL MISSION WAS NO MATCH FOR OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!" shouted a very loud man as he led his team into the room.

"Tenten-chan!" shouted Naruto as he abandoned his sensei's leg and ran towards his girlfriend.

Just as they were about to hug, Tenten noticed how dirty and wet he was and ducked when he jumped at her. As Naruto crashed face first into the next person walking into the room, everyone else burst out laughing. They laughed still harder once they realized who he had crashed into.

"Get off of me!" roared Uchiha Sasuke as the rest of his team slid past them and into the room.

"Go to hell you fucking prick!" Naruto shouted right back as he jumped to his feet and turned towards his still laughing girlfriend. "I thought you loved me! Why would you make me touch... that?"

"I-I'm... sorry... d-do... love... you." she replied as she fell to the floor and started gasping for air.

"How dare you ignore me!" shouted Sasuke once he realized that Naruto had complete dismissed him.

Naruto turned his gaze back to the Uchiha and sighed. "I was simply giving my attention to someone more deserving."

"W-What?!"

"No one is more deserving of attention then Sasuke-kun!" shouted Sakura only to be ignored.

"Will you please tell your student to shut up?" Kurenai asked Kakashi as she gently rubbed her temples. She could barely stand this team on a very good day but hearing his team scream and whine was really getting to her.

"Perhaps your student shouldn't mock him." Kakashi said calmly while everyone turned their attention way from the Uchiha and focused on the pair of Jounin.

"Naruto did nothing wrong. Your little pet simply can't take not being the center of attention!" she snapped causing Naruto and Tenten to cheer while Sakura looked about ready to start screaming if it weren't for the fact that Kiba had placed his hand over her mouth.

"Odd choice of words. One would think that a... fox would be a more suitable pet." Kakashi countered smoothly only to have many more eyes then just those of the kunoichi look at him and harden.

"Your walking on dangerous ground, Scarecrow-teme." hissed Naruto with a smirk that caused everyone to see a quick image of Anko standing behind him.

"He's right, Kakashi." said the Hokage firmly when Kakashi opened his mouth to reply to Naruto. "Do not push me on this because you know that you will lose."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama." Kakashi replied with a bow before he collected his team and left the room. And with him went the uneasy tension that had been filling the air.

"Kurenai, I have need of your team. I have a message that must be taken to Sunagakure and I feel as though it will be a great chance for your team."

"Risk and rank?" she asked turning very serious just as she always did when they received their mission. It wouldn't matter if they were supposed to sweep the steps of the library or kill an enemy shinobi, Kurenai always acted the same.

"Very low and C." came her reply.

"What to you think?" she asked her team only to find two of them giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Pretty please! Can we have it?" they begged while Shino just stood back and watched.

A very large part of the bug user was focusing on Hinata. Ever since that day in the coffee shop things had been changing at a very slow pace. They hadn't kissed yet or really went on a date. The farthest they had gone was holding hands for a few moments here and there. Normally it only lasted until Kurenai and Naruto started teasing them at which point Hinata would turn a pretty shade of red before running after the two with threats of decapitation.

It was all very new to the both of them but he felt as though things were moving as they were meant to. One reason he was letting her set the pace was because he was scared to try anything. He knew that if he tried to push her into something she wasn't ready for, there would be a very long line of people waiting to beat some sense into him. Only he knew that none of them would be needed because there would be nothing left after his kaa-san was through with him. Part of him was worried about his increasing urges to want to hold her hand or even try and kiss her but those were the pains of puberty.

"What about you Shino?" Kurenai asked once she saw him staring at Hinata.

Before he could even think of answering, Hinata took it upon herself to help him along by turning her pouty gaze towards him. After a few more moments of staring at the beautiful girl in front of him, Shino replied. "I believe it would be a great opportunity for us as a team. I would also find it enjoyable to be able to see one of the other great shinobi villages."

"Is that your _only _reason for agreeing?" teased Naruto causing Shino to look away from Hinata and the group.

"Whatever the reason, my points remain valid." he muttered just loud enough for them to hear as he slowly slid his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"It would seem that your team has made themselves clear." With that the Hokage handed Kurenai the mission scroll, the scroll that was to be delivered, and gave them each a warm smile. "Good luck and be safe."

Once outside Kurenai opened the scroll to get a feel for the mission. She would read over it again and again on their way to Wind Country so there was no need to try and take everything in at once.

"Alright you three. I want you to pack enough for a little over a week and meet me in front of the west gate as soon as you're finished." she ordered and when she received three nods the group split up.

As he entered the Aburame Sector, Shino couldn't help but feel both excited and a little apprehensive about the upcoming mission. Yes the risk was very low but they were newly appointed Genin traveling a very large distance to Sunagakure no Sato(Village Hidden Among Sand). Plus when it came to his teammate Naruto, nothing was ever as easy as it seemed.

Shino entered his house and soon found his kaa-san and tou-san sitting in silence as they enjoyed a cup of tea and each others presence. Without making himself known, Shino simply stood there and waited to be acknowledged.

"You have a mission." his kaa-san said simply.

"Yes. My team has been given a mission to Sunagakure." Shino replied calmly.

"Time frame?"

"I do not know. We were told to pack for a little over a week."

"You will be careful won't you?"

"Of course."

"Then go with our blessings. Be safe and come home soon so your kaa-san won't worry to much." Shibi said calmly while his kanai gave a very faint smile.

Shino bowed slightly before leaving to collect his things.

While Shino was having a calm conversation with his parents, Hinata was sneaking around trying to avoid _her_ family. It wasn't that she wouldn't miss them, as odd as it seemed, it was simply that she wanted to lie to herself and think that they would miss her even a little and she knew that if confronted that she would know the truth.

As she search her room for anything she could have missed a faint sound from behind her alerted her of another's presence. After quickly spinning around, Hinata was a little saddened to see her tou-san standing before her. Her lie of being missed was sure to be broken now.

"You are leaving." Hiashi stated as he looked at the collection of items on her bed.

"My team has been given a mission to Sunagakure." Hinata explained as she began to move about again.

"A C-Rank with little to no risk." her tou-san supplied while not sounding anything other then neutral.

"The Hokage said it would be a good starting point."

"He is correct. Do you know when you will be back?" Hiashi inquired.

From her spot by her bed, Hinata couldn't stop her eyes from widening. It had almost sounded like he _would_ miss her.

"Kurenai-sensei has told us to pack for a little over a week." she answered, her voice slightly shaky.

"Do not dishonor your name." Hiashi ordered before leaving the room and a shocked Hinata behind.

"Tou-san." she whispered as she quickly wiped the unshed tears from her eyes and continued packing.

That had been the single nicest thing he had said to her in a very long time. Instead of telling her that she would dishonor them all he made it seem as though she _did_ have the honor of a Hyuuga inside of her. To anyone else it still would have been unbearably cold but to Hinata it was wonderful.

Naruto and Kurenai were currently running around screaming at each other while an amused Anko sat in the living room and listened.

"Naruto! Where is my black bra?"

"Why the fuck would I know that?!"

"Well, have you seen my toothbrush?"

"Look in the bathroom you bimbo!"

"Bimbo?!"

"You heard me! Hey... Can I take Kuma-chan?"

"Naru-chan wants to take his teddy bear!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"Oh that's real mature!"

"Thank you!"

The more they shouted the wider Anko's smile got. She was going to miss those two. Every time someone had an extended mission they seemed to fight even more to make up for lost time. It was strange but that was their family and none of them would change it for anything in the world.

"Well I'll be. I found your bra!"

That ended up being to much for Anko. From that moment on the only sound heard in the apartment was Anko's laughter. That is until they were ready to leave. Then everything became quiet.

With a heavy sigh, Kurenai walked up to Anko and gave her one last kiss. "I'll miss you."

"You know what it's like around Naruto so please be safe." Anko pleaded before she pulled her into yet another kiss before the red eyed woman disappeared leaving Naruto and Anko to themselves.

"Try not and kill anyone while I'm gone... unless, of course, it's the Uchiha. That would be a good homecoming present." joked Naruto while Anko smiled even though she had tears in her eyes. "Come on, nee-chan. It's only a C-Rank mission and I'll have Kurenai-sensei with me."

"I know." she admitted. "I can't help it. It seems like only yesterday that you were a snot nosed little shit that whined about everything. Only now do I see that your a snot nosed _big_ shit that still whines about everything."

No matter what she said Naruto knew what she meant. Moving towards her and wrapping his arms around her, Naruto whispered. "I love you nee-chan. Believe me when I say that I'm much to scared of you to try and escape."

"You better go and find Tenten-chan or I'll be the least of your problems." she replied before kissing him on the cheek and pushing him towards the door. "Don't die or I'll fucking kill you!"

That was the last thing he heard as he disappeared and reappeared outside of the formally named training ground five. Formally because it had since been renamed 'THE EVER YOUTHFUL TRAINING GROUND OF YOUTHFULNESS!'. One didn't need many guesses to know who's training ground this was.

"Naruto-kun!" shouted Tenten once she spotted him. She seemed oddly happy to be given a reason to stop training.

Before Naruto was able to say anything his forceful girlfriend smashed her lips into his. Not that he minded any. Although he did wish that Lee wasn't standing next to them taking notes. It was a bit of a mood killer.

"I've finally got a C-Rank mission. We're going to Sunagakure. I just wanted to tell you so you didn't think I ran away or died."

"I'm glad you did. You know if you die I'll fucking kill you, right?" she asked while Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "I love you."

"I love you too. Don't worry. I've got Kurenai-sensei to help me if anything goes wrong and Hinata-chan and Shino are no pushovers either."

"Very true. Ok. Go before I start to cry." she ordered. If there was one thing Tenten hated it was crying or showing weakness. During her 'times of the month' it was really bad because she was so emotional that it was an endless loop. She'd get mad because she was emotional only to start crying and before long she was crying for no other reason then because she was crying. Then she would beat Naruto within an inch of his life before she cuddling against him as if nothing had happened. He only hopped that Shino had better luck with Hinata. It wasn't so much he minded it all. It was more that the beatings and crying came out of nowhere that got to him. The cuddling he could keep all the time.

"Goodbye and good luck my youthful friend!" shouted Lee.

It was then that Naruto became aware that Guy and Neji were missing and was very pleased about that. No headache or prick to deal with.

"Thank you Lee. Be sure to train extra hard to keep up your youthfulness!" he said much to Tenten's horror before disappearing. He knew there was going to he hell to pay when he got back... but that wan't for another week or longer.

When he arrived at the gate he noticed that he was the last one there and that Hinata and Shino were looking very happy about leaving but Kurenai looked slightly upset, which he guessed was about Anko.

"Don't worry. It's only a week and we can't all be lucky enough to have our significant other on our team." he said teasingly while he watched Hinata and Shino look away from the group and to the ground.

"I know and I'm always like this when I leave so don't worry. You went and saw Tenten-chan didn't you?" she asked and when Naruto nodded she looked at them as a group and said. "This is going to be a lot different then cleaning a park or picking some vegetables. This is a real mission with real importance so you will act accordingly. Or at least try in Naru-chan's case."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I can be perfectly normal when I want." he stated firmly.

"When did you learn this?" Hinata asked in disbelief.

"One of the first things Anko-nee-chan taught me was how to be normal so I never acted like it on accident!" he answered causing them all to sweat drop.

"... Ok." said Kurenai who wasn't sure of where to go after that.

"How long will it take to get to Sunagakure?" inquired Shino once he saw that his sensei was stuck after another Naruto moment.

"It will take a day and a half of running to get to Wind Country's border and three days to get to Sunagakure. The desert is no laughing matter so we will be taking our time when crossing it." she answered while giving the boy a grateful look.

"Why didn't you just tell us to pack for two weeks?" Naruto asked once he realized that it would take nearly that long for the trip.

"Because as much as I hate it, it's a hassle to bring extra clothing and supplies. When we travel, we travel with only what we need. If our cloths get to dirty we can wash them in a stream or something and if we run out of food we can hunt or fish. This of course only works so long as there are places like that to use, so once we reach the desert we will have to make do. That is why it is smart to conserve your clothing and food and hunt in the beginning. If we don't eat the meals we brought along first then they will be there later." she reasoned. It was simple logic but it was sound.

"So don't use your shit until you need to?" offered Naruto.

"While your explanation was shorter and more... colorful it was right none the less." Kurenai told him while sounding put out that he ruined her perfectly good and in depth explanation with one of his own.

"I try my best." he teased.

"Brat." she muttered before she turned and led her team through the gate before turning and watching them close. When the view of Konohagakure was finally gone they couldn't help but take one last large and very shaky breath.

"Don't worry. You may be... how did Anko-chan put it... oh yeah... 'You may be snot nosed little shits but you fuckers are old enough to get off your asses and do some real fucking work.'" Kurenai said with a fond smile, one that was shared by Naruto. Oddly enough this didn't make Hinata and Shino feel any better partly because they weren't sure what exactly it meant. Hinata had known the woman for many years but she still wasn't as fluent in Anko as Kurenai or Naruto

"What that means is that we're are qualified shinobi. We can't expect to sit around doing easy missions forever so suck it up and try your best."

With Naruto's translation the two did start to feel a little better.

"Good thing you know Anko-chan so well." Kurenai said happily as she and her team started off at a light jog.

"True, but you know her too. My guess is you just secretly like cussing so you used it as your chance to do so."

"Smart ass."

"See." Naruto teased as their jog increased to a run as they entered the trees and began leaping from branch to branch.

With Kurenai being the only one having ran like this before and Naruto having seemingly limitless energy, Hinata and Shino were having a very hard time keeping up with them and by the time nightfall came around they were all to eager to stop if even for a short break.

"We made very good time today so we can stop for a quick break." Kurenai said and while she made it seem like it was because of her compassion it was really because their current position would be the last place that she knew of that they would be able to stop and hunt without trouble.

She had been through Wind Country before but the desert terrain seemed to always be moving. Also it was very unwise to put your faith in finding an oasis.

"Will it always be like this? Running none stop I mean." Hinata asked as she took a very deep drink from her canteen.

"That depends. Most mission vary in how long it should take you. Since this is a delivery mission the Hokage expects it to be there as quickly as possible. He chose this one because he wanted to see how you would fair. Remember that running into an area and running out will be a large part of our specialty so we need to make sure your up to it."

"I believe that Naruto has more energy then should be allowed." Shino muttered and when the two females looked up they found Naruto jumping from branch to branch waiting for them to rest so they could keep moving.

"Naruto, why don't you go fill the canteens?" Kurenai offered mostly because watching him run around was making _her _tired.

"Why me?" he asked before he made a familiar hand sign and shouted. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

After a few orders, Naruto's clones took every canteen they had and ran off in search of water.

"Lazy son of a bit..." started Kurenai before Hinata cut her off. Truthfully she was just kicking herself because she hadn't remembered them.

"Kurenai-sensei, how fast will we be going once we reach Wind Country?"

"I don't really know. It will depend on how fast we get there and how much water we have. Even for a shinobi the desert is no place to take lightly. If you over heat or become dehydrated you can easily die."

"Aren't you little Miss. Happy Shinobi!" teased Naruto only to stop immediately when Kurenai glared at him. "Sorry."

"I know it isn't fun to think of what could happen but in this line of work you have to. Every time you go out a multitude of things could happen and some of them could result in death. Naruto, while joking is ok on a whole I need to know that you understand the situation before you are allowed to make jokes."

"I said I was sorry." he pouted causing her to smile.

"So... did you bring Kuma-chan?" she asked teasingly and when she saw Naruto give his pack a startled look she continued. "You did! I can't believe you brought a teddy bear on a shinobi mission!"

"I-I..." stuttered Naruto but it was to late. Hinata and Kurenai were already laughing and Shino's bugs seemed to be louder then ever. "Shut the fuck up! So what if I brought her... I mean it!"

"Big bad Mitarashi Naruto. Can't even leave home without his teddy bear!"

Having Kurenai tease him was one thing but even Hinata was getting him and that was just wrong. "Fine!" he shouted as he walked over to his pack and pulled out the teddy bear.

They watched in horror as Naruto pulled back and throw the bear as hard as he could. As they watched it fly, his team turned towards him and watched him shift around uncomfortably. It was as if he was stopping himself from doing something.

"I'm sorry Kuma-chan!" he shouted before running off in the direction he had thrown it. When he finally returned to camp holding the bear tightly in his arms he found everyone laughing at him. Even his clones were back and laughing at him. "I don't care what you say or think."

Once Kuma-chan was safely packed away and the water was stowed away, Kurenai ordered her team to their feet. "Our next spot will be on the Wind Country border."

"Why there?" Naruto asked.

"Well for one thing we will have to stop for border patrol and for another it is a good place to get a feel for the desert before you get to far in." she answered and with that her and her team took off again. This time forgoing the jog and starting at a flat out run.

As they ran, Kurenai realized how lucky she was to have the team she did. Naruto was always there to make the weight of the world seem a lot less heavy. He was the groups relief even if he didn't mean to be some times. He was also very protective of his team and would fight tooth and nail for them if need be. Hinata was the groups conscience. She was warm and compassionate to everyone until they prove themselves unworthy of it. Her fighting ability were much higher then her 'family' thought they were because she just didn't want to hurt her family. Her Byakugan was an asset even on the easiest of mission and as they ran on the dark she had stopped Naruto more then her fair share of times from falling. Shino was... Shino was the groups thinker. While neither Hinata or Naruto were stupid, Shino simply approached a given situation in a more analytical fashion where as Naruto was a destroy first ask questions later type and Hinata was a wait and follow orders type. Although she was breaking out of that shell more and more because of Anko, Naruto, and Tenten. Together they were a team that seemed to function perfectly right off the bat. Kurenai never had to shout at them to do something as a team or get on to them for making someone do most of the work. As they approached the border, Kurenai was broken out of her thoughts by a tired looking shinobi asking for their papers.

After a short exchange of words the shinobi let them pass and before long the once firm ground gave way to shifting sand. As the group slowed their pace down, Naruto took it upon himself to throw sand at the others. This finally ended with him being tied up and drug behind Kurenai while Hinata made fun of him and Shino smiled slightly.

"I was only playing!" Naruto whined after Kurenai refused to let him go for the thirtieth time.

"You got sand in my hair. Do you know how hard that is to get out?!" she shouted only to have him glare at her.

"Have you forgotten that I had nice long hair before you and my bitch nee-chan cut it off?!"

Kurenai stopped and turned back towards him. "Don't insult Anko-chan."

"I'll insult who ever I want. Nee-chan is a psycho bitch from hell! You know it, I know it, everyone knows it!"

Sadly it seemed that Kurenai doesn't handle heat very well. The sudden increase in temperature seemed to make her very short tempered.

"Take that back, Naruto! Anko-chan is a very kind, loving, and pleas... WHAT THE FUCK AM I SAYING?!" she shouted once she heard herself. "Stupid heat. It's already making my delusional."

Hinata seemed to be used to all of this because all she did was shake her head and untie the blond demon vessel. "Please don't push her Naruto-kun. This is hard enough without you two shouting."

"Sorry Hinata-chan." Naruto replied quietly.

The rest of the trip to Sunagakure was uneventful. Even when the the younger shinobi learned that desert nights can get very cold in certain places. As the group reached Sunagakure, Kurenai told them to wait in town by the entrance while she delivered the scroll. Not being one to listen or stand still, Naruto soon convinced the other two that exploring a new village was a much better way to spend their time. Everything seemed to be going fine until Naruto stumbled a little while rounding a corner and soon found himself planted in a giant pair of... well you get the idea.

"Are you going to stay there, brat?!" snapped the woman.

"Shut the fuck up, jiggly!" shouted Naruto while making a very blatant reference to the woman's large breasts.

It was true that this woman's most recognizable feature were her large breasts. Only that wasn't all. All in all she was a beauty with blue eyes, long blonde hair, and a figure that many woman would die for. At the time she was only wearing a pair of loose black pants and a white sleeveless, wraparound shirt that should off more cleavage then was exactly necessary. Other then that she only wore a pair of stilted sandals and she held a very thin white jacket in her arms that seemed to be made of the same fabric as her shirt and had something illegible written on the back.

"Why you little..." started the woman before a younger woman stepped forward.

Naruto looked at her and was shocked to find that she to was beautiful by many standards. Not as beautiful as say Tenten but still beautiful none the less. It was odd that the first thing he noticed about her was the fact that she was carrying around a small pig in her arms. Appearance wise the woman seemed to be about the same age as his nee-chan with soft black hair that was kept just above her shoulders in a bit of a tomboyish style. She also had pleasant brown eyes and a warm smile. Unlike her companion, this woman wore a simple black kimono that showed off only a slight bit of cleavage but a long cut up the sides showed off a large portion of her legs.

"Tsunade-sama, those are shinobi from Konohagakure!"

"So what?" snapped Naruto while Shino and Hinata seemed to place the name and quickly bowed.

"It's an honor to meet you Tsunade-sama." they both said as one.

"Why are you bowing to jiggly?!" yelled Naruto while a vain in the woman's forehead began to throb.

"Naruto-kun! That is Tsunade! She was one of the Thirds students, and the magomusume of the First Hokage. She also happens to be a world renowned Medic-nin!" hissed Hinata while Naruto finally understood.

"You mean jiggly is the woman Tenten-chan talks about all the time?" he asked his only female teammate only to have her nod tiredly. Once he found this out he turned back towards the fuming woman. "Can I have your autograph?"

"You little sh... wait. You want my autograph?" the blonde asked.

"If you wouldn't mind? My girlfriend dreams of being just like you." Naruto stated as he pulled out a kunai and handed it to her to sign. He knew it wasn't the best item to have signed but Tenten was a weapons mistress and would love it even more if her idol signed a weapon for her.

"How the hell could this little brat get a girlfriend?" she asked Hinata and Shino who just laughed at Naruto's pout. "I guess he's good looking but other then that he seems like a wast of space."

As she said this she still took the kunai and signed it.

"Listen jiggly... wait a minute! How can you be the jii-san's student? You would have to be around fifty years old!" Naruto shouted while everyone but him recognized the warning signs and began slowly backing away. "You're not just jiggly! You're a jiggly-baa-chan!"

Kurenai was extremely happy. She had gotten to deliver her message quickly so her and her team could now leave the desert and the heat. As she went back to where she had left her team she wasn't at all surprised to find them missing. If she had come to a new village she would have wondered off too. Although when she found them she didn't expect Shino and Hinata to be speaking to a black haired woman about her age while Naruto was being strangled and shaken by a pissed off blonde woman. She was a little shocked that the rest of her team seemed to ignore it though.

"Why won't you die?!" roared the woman.

"Let go of me, Jiggly-baa-chan!" shouted Naruto but his voice sounded warped because of the shaking and choking.

When she heard what he called her, Kurenai couldn't help but sigh. He had deserved it.

"At first I was worried as to way you weren't helping him." she said to her team causing them to jump before turning and bowing to her.

"W-Well you see..." started Hinata before Kurenai raised a hand.

"I understand."

"Kurenai!" the black haired woman yelled before pulling their sensei into a tight hug.

"Shizune, what are you... if your here then the woman choking Naru-chan is..."

"Tsunade-sama." Shizune finished for her only for her to sigh even louder this.

"Is she going to kill him?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"I don't think so. So how have you been?"

"I've been great." Kurenai answered only to get another hug from the woman. This one though, Naruto saw and was suddenly gone from the grips of the Sannin and standing in between his sensei and the woman.

"No one hugs sensei but nee-chan!" he shouted causing Shizune and Tsunade to look confused.

"Who is your nee-chan and why is she the only one who can hug Kurenai?" inquired Shizune.

"My nee-chan is Mitarashi Anko! She adopted me when I was four. The reason no one else can hug sensei is because there are a lot of perverts out there and also she is nee-chan's girlfriend!" he stated firmly while the two new additions to the group turned and started at a blushing Kurenai in shock.

"Y-You're a l-lesbian _and_ you're d-dating Mitarashi Anko?" stuttered Tsunade.

"Yes. We've been dating since Naru-chan was seven but have only been open with our relationship for about four years." she answered while smiling slightly.

"They also love each other so don't you try anything!" Naruto threatened as he cast them both a cold glare.

"I like men, brat!" they both snapped at the same time.

"So how did you guys meet?" asked a soft voice from behind Shino.

It would seem that Hinata's shell had come back when she was in the presence of the Legendary Slug Sannin, Tsunade. Although she did have enough courage to slowly slid her hand into Shino's and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Shizune, Anko, and I have been friends for years. We met Tsunade-sama when she became Shizune's mistress. After that we haven't really seen each other to much because their always gone from the village." Kurenai answered.

"So when did that sadistic bitch adopt this brat?" asked Tsunade only to receive a fist to the face by an enraged Naruto.

What shocked them most wasn't that Naruto had just attacked one of their villages strongest shinobi without a second thought. No, it was the fact that his punch did nothing to the woman what so ever.

With a smirk Tsunade asked. "Is that it, brat?"

"No one calls my nee-chan that but me and Kurenai-sensei! Do it again and I'll fucking kill you!" he vowed but only to have the woman laugh at him in reply. His team and Kurenai were still shocked by the womans strength. Yes they had heard tales about it but had never seen it before. Kurenai knew full well how strong Naruto was and for his punch to do absolutely nothing was... scary more then anything.

"Who do think you're threatening you little shit?" Tsunade hissed as she slowly cracked her knuckles.

"I don't give a fuck who you are! No one but Kurenai-sensei and I have the right to call Anko-nee-chan that!" he shouted back before he spat at the womans feet.

"So you love the traitors whore do you?" she asked darkly only to have most of the group gasp. In the back of her mind she knew she was going too far and didn't see Anko as that but she was curious about this boys strength. It had been a long time since someone had had the courage to punch her and even longer since she had felt it. It may have been only a tingle but the feeling had still been there.

"What did you say?" asked a cold hollow voice. Kurenai was pissed too but she was more worried about the fact that Naruto's once happy eyes now seemed cold and hard.

"That snakes whore is no better then some of the other trash from that village. She is nothing but a fucking bitch that should have been put down before she was given a chance to grow up!" the woman snapped.

As the woman spoke Naruto hung his head and tried his best to control the rage he was feeling towards the woman but as the last words left her mouth Naruto visibly flinched. As he slowly raised his eyes back towards the woman's, everyone was a little frightened to find a very wide smirk on his face.

"I'm going to kill you!" he sang before his hands seemed to become blurs. "Dokugiri!"(Poison Mist)

Before Kurenai could step forward and attempt to stop the inevitable fight, a large cloud of highly toxic poison seeped from the blond boys mouth. This didn't really hurt Tsunade but it caused everyone else to jump back and cover their mouths.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted before the mist had even cleared and everyone watched as twenty clones ran towards the woman while holding one single hand seal.

"Bunshin Daibakuha!"(Great Clone Explosion) they shouted before the very chakra they were made of spiked and they all exploded.

Everyone watched in awe as Tsunade was thrown back off of her feet and out into the desert. As Naruto slowly walked towards her, Tsunade got to her feet and smirked. She still looked as though nothing had happened and the only evidence there was of her even being attacked was that her cloths looked a little out of place. This only served to make Naruto even more angry. With a flick of his wrist Naruto's sleeve raised to show his arm covered in multiple slingshot like devices.

"Shikomishindan!"(Prepared Needle Shot) he roared before pulling back the main cord and sending twenty poisoned needles towards the woman.

Shizune watched the boy in awe. He used many of the techniques she knew but their power was much higher then hers were.

Tsunade watched the tiny needles speed towards her and simply waited. Just as they were about the hit their mark she slammed her fist into the ground causing a wall of sand to shoot up and block them. It wasn't the wall of sand the shocked them all. It was more the small tremor that came along with it. As Naruto's body shock he suddenly became fearful of the woman.

"Do you think I care about your strength you stupid bitch?!" he shouted bravely as he ran towards her with a speed that neither Hinata or Shino had ever seen him use.

Tsunade was making one very big mistake. From the every beginning she had underestimated him and how badly he wanted to kill her for what she had said. When suddenly he was standing in front of her and grabbing her hands for his next attack, she began to realize her mistake. She was so shocked by this that she couldn't move to stop him as he forced her hands to make hand seals along with him. She knew this attack and couldn't believe he would use it.

"No!" shouted Kurenai from behind them but it was to late.

Naruto finished the last seal and stopped. All he had left to do was say the words and they would both be dead. As snakes slid from under his sleeve and wrapped around both of their arms, Naruto smirked almost happily even through the tears in his eyes. "I told you I would kill you."

"You would kill yourself just because of what I said?" asked the startled blonde woman as the rest of the group surrounded them.

"You don't know who he is do you?" Shino asked Tsunade calmly.

"He already told me his na..." she said only to be cut off.

"You don't know who he was before that." he pressed while Tsunade turned towards her would be killer.

"So who were you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. Vessel of Kyuubi no Youko and touto to Mitarashi Anko. My life was hell before she found me. I was beaten any time someone saw me and I was forced to eat garbage and wear rags. When nee-chan found me she gave me a warm place to sleep where I would be safe. She feed me the first actual food I could ever remember eating and later introduced me to my first friends. Saying that Anko-nee-chan should have died means that I would still be living on the streets and that I wouldn't have Hinata-chan or Tenten-chan or even Shino. I can't forgive you for that. That woman is an angel to me and I won't let some fucker like you speak that way about her. Even if I have to die to." he explained while both woman looked shock while one looked ashamed as well.

She never would have pushed him had she known. She never would have said anything had she known who he really was.

Naruto opened his mouth to finish the jutsu only to have Kurenai smack him across the face.

"What do you think Anko-chan would do if she found out you did this?! Do you think she would want you to kill yourself over something like this?" she shouted.

"B-But you heard what she said! I can't let her live!" he shouted back as tears rolled from his eyes. "I want to kill her! I have to kill her! No one talks about my nee-chan that way!"

"So you will simply cause her even more pain by losing you?" Shino asked calmly while inside he was anything but. "Think about it Naruto. Do you think she would rather you kill yourself and this woman or have you come back alive?"

"B-But what about what she said?!" he shouted while they could see the pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Tsunade whispered. She really wasn't used to apologizing even when she knew she was wrong.

"You're just saying that so I won't kill you!"

"No I'm not. If I had known who you were I never would have done this. I was surprised by your strength and wanted to see how strong you were so I taunted you. I didn't realize how cruel it was until you told me who you were. If you want to kill me then I'll let you but please choose a different jutsu and not one that will kill you as well." she explained softly.

"Tsunade-sam..." started Shizune only to be cut off by he mistress.

"You heard what I said, Shizune!" she snapped.

"So you didn't mean it? You don't think Anko-nee-chan should d-die?"

"No. I've never hated Anko."

"Then why would you..."

"Because I was being stupid."

Naruto stared at the woman for a few more moments before the snakes uncoiled themselves and disappeared back into Naruto's sleeves. "Say something like that again, Jiggly-baa-chan, and you'll be lucky if I just kill you." he whispered coldly.

"I won't." she replied while not even saying anything about the name he had chosen for her.

The group seemed to get along fine after that but Naruto soon found that as sorry as Tsunade felt, she didn't want to be called 'Jiggly-baa-chan' even more. As they made it back to the entrance they had arrived in after getting something to eat, Kurenai was again given the task of trying to stop Tsunade from killing Naruto for using his name for her.

"So were are you headed?" Hinata asked while sounding not so intimidated by the legendary shinobi as she had upon first meeting her.

"No clue. Probably Grass Country. There is supposed to be a large gambling den there with some pretty loose slots." Tsunade answered once she had finally let Naruto go.

"_That's_ where I know your name from! It's because they call you the Legendary Sucker because you are arguably the worst gambler ever!" shouted Naruto while everyone but Tsunade sweat dropped.

"Why you little..." she started before Kurenai grabbed her student and took off out of the village.

"I hope to see you again soon!"

"You have a death wish don't you Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as they began their journey home.

"I could take her." stated Naruto firmly.

"I do not think you could. The only reason you were able to stop her last time was because she did not know how serious you were and you surprised her by using that technique." counted Shino while Kurenai and Hinata giggled at the outraged look on Naruto's face.

"You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I was merely stating a fact. Tsunade-sama is many times stronger then you. If she and the Hokage were to fight there is no way of knowing who would win."

"I know who would win!" shouted Naruto happily. "Jii-san is a pervert so he would stare at her breasts the whole time giving her a ton of openings."

"Don't call Hokage-sama a pervert Naruto-kun!" shouted Hinata only to have Kurenai lean in and whisper.

"Sadly he's right. The Hokage is a pervert. He reads those same books as Kakashi but at least he does it when no one is around."

"Our Hokage is a pervert?" asked Hinata who seemed to almost be pleading for her to be lying.

"I'm sorry." Kurenai replied sadly while the young woman's shoulders slumped.

"I have a question." announced Shino calmly as he stopped to pull yet another scorpion off of his pant legs. It would seem that they were drawn to the quiet boy and while he found them interesting, he was more concerned with getting out of the heat.

"Yes?"

"Why don't we simply have Naruto summon one of the larger snakes? Wouldn't that get us there faster?" he asked while Kurenai turned towards a shocked Naruto and glared.

"Why the hell don't we remember any of these things?!" she shouted angrily while Naruto only shrugged and Hinata simply giggled from behind Shino. Kurenai then rounded on the quiet boy and shouted. "And why don't _you _mention these things before we are on our way back!"

"You're the sensei you stupid bimbo!" shouted Naruto.

"What did you say?!" Kurenai yelled as her eyes shot towards the young blond.

"You heard me!" he shouted back only to have Kurenai tear up. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"I'm a failure as a sensei!" she cried even as she dropped to her knees, while the others simply prayed that it was because of the heat and lack of water.

"No your not! You're the greatest sensei ever!" shouted Naruto before he pulled out his last canteen and forced the woman to drink it. What ever was wrong with her the cool water seemed to fix it.

"Sorry. I really hate the desert. If I get too hot I start to get emotional before I start hurting people." she explained while Naruto was glad that he had given her the water when he did. "Naru-chan, if you would please summon a snake large enough for us to ride on I would be very grateful."

Naruto nodded and after he his hands became blurs again he bit his thumb and shouted as he slammed his hands into the sand. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"(Summoning Technique)

They watched in awe and more then a little fear as Naruto rapidly rose into the air and when the smoke finally cleared they say him sitting on the head of a very large and very dangerous looking snake. It was easily ninety meters long and as big around as the Hokage Tower. It looked as though it was made for the desert as it's rough bumpy scales seemed to look identical to the sand beneath their feet.

"Naruto, why have you summoned me?" asked the snake in a large booming voice.

"My team and I are sick of the desert and we were wondering if you could get us back to Konohagakure?"

"No." stated the snake while the others besides Naruto started to look nervous. "I will take you as far as the sands reach but I will not go any farther. My home is the sands. You know this."

"That's fine. We are more then happy with you just taking us to the end of the desert." Naruto replied gratefully before waving for his team to join him. This snake was one of the nicer ones. While it would let others sit on it's enormous head, most of the other snakes in the contract would only let the summoner.

Everyone besides Naruto was amazed at how fast the snake could travel. It seemed to move through the sand like a fish did water and at their current speed they would be out of the desert in a little over four hours. They figured that they could have gotten there even faster but the snake was enjoying the hot sand and since they were getting a free ride who were they to complain. Although everyone turned towards Shino only to find him wearing goggles and a mask much like Kakashi's.

"This wind will dry out ones lips." he reasoned while Hinata and Kurenai soon made their own makeshift masks but Naruto only shrugged and went back to enjoying the wind. Even if his lips did get dry and chapped they would heal in a matter of moments anyway.

This was something that Anko had told him to be grateful for. When she had told him about the Kyuubi she also told him about his increased healing ability because of the demon. She told him to be grateful for it because without it he might not even be alive today. And she was right. A child can only take so many beatings before their body simply gives out.

Four people arriving on the head of an enormous snake was not something the border guards were used to seeing but when the snake slithered back into the sands and the team uncovered their faces, the guards sighed in relief. Their job was trying enough without them having to battle monstrous snakes and strange desert people.

"Why didn't the snake disappear?" Kurenai asked Naruto once they were running in the trees again. A feeling of home that they had all missed.

"He liked the sand so I let him stay. Summons can only stay as long as they have chakra or until their summoner sends them back, the summoner having ultimate authority. Like Anko-nee-chan, I let my snakes stay for as long as they want so long as they don't cause trouble, which isn't something that nee-chan worries about to much. He will most likely sunbath for a few days before leaving." Naruto explained while Shino seemed to catch on as to why they did that.

"Am I correct in assuming that doing so causes the snakes to like and trust you therefore you gain your 'Rights' sooner?"

Naruto smiled slightly showing everyone that Shino had been exactly right.

"We do the same thing with our Kikaichuu's. We will feed them as much chakra as they can handle and by doing so we create a bond and a trust between them and us. They know that as long as they help us that we will give them chakra." Shino said while everyone was happy to gain a little insight as to the inner workings of mysterious Aburame Clan. It hadn't been a lot but every now and then the quiet boy would offer then more and more information.

"I would like to meet your kaa-san." Hinata said softly as they continued to all but fly from tree to tree. "You seem to speak very highly of her."

"I do." agreed Shino simply. Hinata wasn't hurt by this at all. She knew very well how secretive the Aburame Clan was and Shino himself had told her how they view his kaa-san so she understood that he would he a little hesitant to say anything either way.

"Maybe someday." she offered while Shino shot her a grateful look only to reply with a understanding look of her own.

"It would be nice to meet her. I've only ever heard rumors about her." Kurenai said absently while Naruto nodded. They then let the conversation drop so that Shino could relax a little.

This was something else that Shino appreciated about his team. While they would say and ask things in hopes of getting to know him, they respected his quiet and secretive nature and didn't pressure him into telling them anything he wasn't ready to. They just let him know that they were interested so that when he felt like saying something he could.

He was much like Hinata when it came to her family but for a different reason. While Shino's family was simply quiet and secretive, Hinata was ashamed at how she was treated and any time her family was brought up she would pretend not to listen or dance around the subject with a practiced ease.

With the thought of seeing Konohagakure again consuming their minds, Team 8 was making very good time. Naruto had even offered to summon another snake but that was quickly rejected by Kurenai who thought that if they used it to many times they would get lazy. She did joke that if they ever had to visit the desert again he was more then welcome to.

Night had fallen a few hours ago when the group finally saw the west gate of Konohagakure in the distance. Even an experienced shinobi like Kurenai couldn't help but join in when Naruto and Hinata cheered. Even Shino offered a much quieter clap.

"You will never get used to this sight. Even now I still get goose bumps when I come back from a mission. You will be hard pressed to find something that can make you feel as happy and proud as returning to your village after completing a mission." Kurenai told them as they ran even faster towards the gate.

"Halt. Name and business!" ordered one of the guards while the other seemed to be scanning their faces.

"Team 8 reporting back from our mission to Sunagakure." stated Kurenai firmly.

The second guard looked at them accusingly before saying. "It's only been a little under five days. How is it that a Genin team could travel so fast?"

"We had a 'little' help. Now. Let. Us. In." said Kurenai darkly. She knew exactly why they were doing this and the reason was currently speaking with Shino and Hinata in hushed tones.

The guards knew about Kurenai's love for Naruto and his 'nee-chan' so they knew not to push her. Then there was the fact that the Hokage viewed him as a magomusuko.

"Proceed." said the first one quickly as they opened the gate and moved out of the way.

Kurenai smiled as she saw her team shiver as goose bumps spread out across their skin as soon as the walked through the gate. _It never changes. _She thought as she led her team towards the Hokage Tower.

Naruto found himself swelling with pride as they walked down the street. He now understood what Kurenai was talking about and by the way Shino and Hinata were smiling they were feeling the same. For better of worse this was his home and he was die before letting anything happen to it.

Kurenai didn't even pause when they reached the Hokage's office. She simply opened the door and let her team in. They soon found themselves standing before the Hokage while he worked through a large stack of papers.

"Team 8 reporting. Mission successful." Kurenai told the old man only to have him look up and smile.

"Any trouble?" he asked only to see them shift slightly.

"Define 'trouble'." replied Naruto.

"Did you have to fight or kill anyone?" the elderly Hokage explained with a smile.

"Not an enemy!" Naruto said brightly but with a nervous laugh at the end.

"Explain." sighed the Third.

"While I was delivering the scroll to the Kazekage my team managed to run into a pair of shinobi from Konohagakure. One of them said something about Anko-chan and Naru-chan didn't like it. They fought and Naru-chan trapped them in the 'Twin Snakes Mutual Death Technique' but luckily the situation was resolved through words." explained Kurenai while the Hokage rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"I know of no other shinobi from our village that was in Sunagakure."

"Um... Well, you see... it was Tsunade-sama and Shizune." Kurenai commented nervously while the Hokage seemed to age another ten years.

"You almost killed yourself and one of our villages greatest shinobi?" he inquired while looking at Naruto.

"Oops?" he offered lamely only to have Hinata and Kurenai giggle. "Jiggly-baa-chan said something stupid and I got pissed off. Nothing bad ended up happening."

"Jiggly-baa..." started the Hokage only to burst out laughing before he could finish. "G-Go home and report back here in the morning by ten."

As the group left the office of a still laughing Hokage, Hinata muttered. "At least he took it well."

"Kurenai-sensei, I'm sure you want some alone time with Anko-nee-chan so I'm going to go to Tenten-chan's. Please keep in mind that I will be back and don't want to hear you two." Naruto joked and while Kurenai blushed he disappeared.

"Bye!" he said brightly to the other members of his team before he too left.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" offered Shino while Hinata could only give a shy nod.

Not to long ago it was Naruto that had always walked her home and while she missed it she also wouldn't trade Shino for anyone.

The two held hands as they walked and the only 'speaking' they did was the occasional tightening of their grip. As they reached Hinata's home, Shino did something he never thought he would have the courage to do. He kissed Hinata softly on the cheek before turning and walking away. He couldn't let her see the surprised look on his face or how red his own cheeks were.

Hinata hadn't taken it much better. Her face turned bright read and her entire body started trembling but she still managed to reach up with a trembling hand and touch her cheek. Even though her knees felt as though they were about to buckle, Hinata had still managed to make it into her house and up to her room where she was to find yet another shock waiting for her. As she slowly opened her door she found her tou-san sitting in her bed looking at the picture of them and her kaa-san while his eyes looked glossy from unshed tears.

"T-Tou-san?" Hinata said softly but it still shocked her tou-san into standing quickly and turning his back to her while he tried to hide the picture she knew he had.

"Y-You're home early." he stated only to have his voice crack a little.

"We found a ride out of the desert." she explained gently as she made no move to ask him why he was here.

"You were successful I hope."

"We were."

"Good. W-We can't have you disgracing out clans name." he said formally but again his voice seemed to betray him.

"I-I don't want to be a disappointment to you, tou-san." she whispered sadly.

"You... You aren't Hinata."

This was the only reply she got before he left the room without a single look back.

Hinata stared at the doorway for a few more moments before a watery smile slowly made its way onto her face. "Tou-san." she whispered as she laid down in her bed and pick up the photo and gave a silent prayer that things would continue to get better even if it was only bit by bit.

Shino was currently sitting quietly in front of his parents while his kaa-san served them tea. The Aburame Clan always kept odd sleeping hours. When most of the village was asleep, they were awake and still working. They seemed to only need a few hours of sleep a night for them to fully recharge.

"Our mission was successful." he stated calmly before he took a drink of his tea and sighed. He had missed tea almost more then his parents on their trip.

"Anything interesting?" Akiko asked her musuko. With her position in the clan and status among them, Akiko hadn't been allowed to go on missions or go to the academy. Although she was as qualified as anyone to be a shinobi, she still lacked a hitai-ate. This didn't stop some of the parents in the clan from taking their children to see her for hints and tips about taijutsu or kenjutsu.

"I met Tsunade-sama and her apprentice Shizune. I also found out that Naruto is many times stronger then most thought." he answered once he finished his glass. It didn't matter what they did for a mission his kaa-san always wanted to know.

"Please explain." Shibi pressed gently.

"Tsunade-sama said something about Anko-san and Naruto punched her. She wanted to know how strong he was so she started talking about Anko-san without knowing his past and how much she meant to him. Naruto became enraged and attacked her. While she is much stronger then Naruto, she underestimated his strength and his sudden desire to kill her. He was soon able trap her in a murder slash suicide technique he was taught. We were able to talk him out of it but it only really stopped once she apologized and explained that she didn't really mean any of it." Shino explained only to continue once they thought he was done. "After we were leaving I then found out that Naruto can summon a giant snake and not even feel the difference in chakra."

"So that is how you arrived so early." Akiko whispered while the other two found it odd that out of all the things they had just heard she was focusing on that one alone. "I must thank him. If it were not for him you wouldn't have come home so soon."

"My team would like to meet you. They hear me speak highly of you and wish to know why. Also..." he confessed only to pause and take a deep breath. "Also I wish to tell you that I am dating Hyuuga Hinata."

The only reaction from this came when his tou-san smashed the cup he was holding. Shibi and Hiashi had not gotten along ever since Hitomi had passed away. Shibi was disgusted with his treatment of his musume and broke all ties with the clan. Few knew that it was at Akiko's urging that Shibi had finally broken the ties because Shibi himself wanted to simply storm the Hyuuga Compound and kill the man. They spoke for days at a time before they came to an agreement.

"I see." Shibi stated in a tone that was obviously forced to remain calm.

"She is a kind and gentle person. She is also very strong but does not like to hurt others. She does not have an ounce of hate or arrogance in her." listed Shino who wanted his parents to understand is choice.

"She is a good match." Akiko agreed while giving her husband a look that seemed to dare him to say anything different.

"My problem is not with Hinata. I know what you say about her is true and I agree that she would be a good match for any man. My problem is, as it has always been, with Hiashi." Shibi confessed.

"May I ask you something?" Shino inquired.

"Of course."

"Why is it that you are ready to raise your hand against your own village for the treatment of one girl but not do anything for the sake of a child who was beaten daily?" he asked while his tou-san and kaa-san both knew who he was referring to. It was definitely a question for his tou-san since his kaa-san would have taken Naruto in without a second thought.

"No matter how it may seem it is always hard to make choices when it comes to Naruto. I do not hate him, of that I can assure you, but I also would not fight for him at the time. Please allow me to explain. In a clan that is, and will more then likely always be torn when it comes to Naruto, it would have been impossible to take him in and keep our clan for breaking apart or to give way to the pressure of the villagers and shinobi that hated him. As clan head I was forced to make a choice that I felt was best for this clan. Hinata is hated by no one other then her own clan and if others knew of it they would likely fight for her as well. It may seem as though I was simply labeling Naruto as a lost cause and in a way I may have been but let me ask you this. Would Naruto still be the same if he hadn't been given such hardships? Do you think Naruto would wish his pain away onto someone else if he was given the chance? I assumed a great many things when he was a child and that may have been wrong of me but I stand by my choice. I feel as though Naruto is better because of his suffering. Let us not forget that it wasn't only Naruto who was saved that day. The life of Mitarashi Anko was also saved when she came upon Naruto. When you are thinking for a group of people it is hardly ever as clear cut as to help or not help, agree or disagree, love or hate. I may be the clan head but everyone has their own mind and I must take that into consideration when I make a choice on a matter that large." Shibi explained and by the end of his explanation Shino believed that he understood. He was aware that there was more then just black and white but at his young age it didn't make matters any easier.

"I understand." he said simply.

When Kurenai unlocked the front door she couldn't help but smile at the first sight she saw. As strong and sadistic as Anko wanted people to think she was, she was still a woman and still had a heart that could bleed when others weren't around. Her current position alone would have led other to begin rethinking their beliefs when it came to the woman.

Kurenai walked quietly towards the woman sleeping on the couch who was holding a photo album tightly to her chest and slowly knelt down beside her. Very slowly, Kurenai placed a kiss on the womans lips and whispered. "Anko-chan."

"Kurenai-chan, at least wait until we're in our room before you touch me there!" Anko muttered in her sleep causing Kurenai to blush but also giggle.

Once she was calm, Kurenai leaned in and kissed her again and whispered. "Anko-chan."

She watched as Anko's eyes fluttered open and as they focused on her they widened. Anko quickly grabbed the smiling woman and smashed her lips into hers. They continued to kiss for a while and before long Kurenai was sitting on the couch while Anko straddled her waist and kissed her neck.

"Naruto?" she asked simply only to receive a simple reply.

As Kurenai slowly began pulled the wrappings from her body, she whispered. "Tenten."

While Naruto was fighting off images of what he knew his nee-chan and Kurenai were doing he was also trying to gain the nerve to knock on the door of his girlfriends house. He knew it was very late and he already wasn't on good terms with Kenshin but he needed to see Tenten as soon as possible. While he stood outside the door and talked to himself, Emi and Kenshin were watching him from a window.

"How long are you going to make the poor boy suffer? You know as well as I do that you're happy he's dating Tenten." Emi whispered to her shujin.

"What kind of tou-san would I be if I acted happy that my musume was dating?" asked Kenshin who seemed horrified by the very idea.

"And what will you do if you scare him away? We know he loves Tenten but he might be scared that them being together is going to cause problems between Tenten and us." Emi stated while Kenshin grudgingly admitted that she was right.

Naruto was in the middle of his best mock conversation yet when the front door swung open.

"Go." growled Kenshin and when Naruto's shoulders slumped and he turned to walk away Kenshin stopped him. "I meant go."

Naruto turned and found the man pointing into the house. As he slowly passed that man he knew that Emi must have played a large part in this and made a mental note to thank her when he got the chance. Once he was passed the large man, Naruto ran to the stairs encase he tried to change his mind.

When he finally made it to Tenten's door he found Emi standing their smiling.

"Thank you." he whispered as he slowly opened the door and slipped inside.

It was odd to think that Tenten owned any stuffed animals and technically she didn't but she did own plenty of stuffed weapons. Her favorite being a stuffed kunai that she named 'Fish Cake' after their first meeting and seeing his ability to throw kunai. This pillow like weapon was currently snuggled against her face as she slept.

Normally Naruto would sneak up and scare the living day lights out of her but he figured that it wasn't something you should do to your girlfriend if you haven't seen for nearly a week.

Naruto walked as quietly as he could around the bed, slipped in behind Tenten, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm... Sasuke-kun." she muttered and suddenly Naruto saw only white.

"WHAT?!" he shouted only to breath a sigh of relief when his girlfriend started laughing. "Your the first person I come to see and I even bring you a present that will make you want to even kiss Guy and Lee and this is how you repay me!"

"S-Sorry!" she said even as she laughed. Personally Naruto thought that it was a very good prank but he didn't like that it was on him or involved her moaning the Uchiha's name.

"Well because of that I'm not going to give you your present." he stated as he got out of the bed and walked to the foot of it and stared at her while grinning.

"I don't care." she said as she tried, and failed, to make it seem as though she didn't want it.

"Really?" Naruto said as he pulled out the kunai and twirled it around his finger.

"I have hundreds of kunai." she said dryly.

"Yes but how many do you have that were signed by THE Legendary Slug Sannin, Tsunade?" he asked while Tenten stared at him, more accurately the kunai, in shock.

"No fucking way!" she shouted as she was using all of her will power to not dive after it.

"Yes fucking way. We met her and Shizune in Sunagakure and I had her sign this for you... but since you don't want it I'll just give it to Ino or maybe Sakura." he teased. _Paybacks a bitch!_

"You can't!" she yelled as she jumped out of bed and dove at him. Not the smartest thing to do when the other person is holding a kunai but luckily no one was cut or stabbed.

"Why can't I? Y-You want the Uchiha more then me." he said in as sad a voice as he could manage.

"I want you! Please give it to me!" she shouted before she smashed her lips to his just to prove her point.

It was then that a pissed off looking Kenshin and even a stern looking Emi walked into the room. "What the hell are you doing?!" Kenshin yelled only for Naruto and Tenten to laugh at him.

"S-Sorry. I just realized how it sounded when I yelled that." Tenten stated as she got off of Naruto and helped him to his feet. "We were NOT doing that. Naruto-kun was teasing me because I teased him."

"When I came in and hugged her I thought she was asleep and she moaned 'Sasuke-kun'. Needless to say I was pissed until she started laughing. This was my way of getting back at her." Naruto explained.

"And how is that?" inquired Emi.

"With this." he replied as he lifted a kunai into the air causing Tenten to squeal like a fan-girl. "This is a one of a kind kunai! Why is it one of a kind you ask? Because it has been signed by none other then the Beauty With Big Boobs, the Legendary Slug Sannin, the Legendary Sucker, Tsunade!"

Tenten and Emi cheered and laughed at his intro for the kunai while Kenshin seemed a bit dazed at the comment about Tsunade's chest. At least he was until his kanai coughed.

"I can see why Tenten would want that. So what are you going to make her do for it?" Emi teased with a suggestive wink.

Sadly for her Naruto was done being teased for the day. "I was going to ask for a night of passion with her kaa-san!" he countered with a wink of his own causing Emi to blush.

"Deal!" shouted Tenten much to everyones disbelief.

"What?!" the three shouted while Naruto and Emi blushed even more.

"I really want that!" she shouted desperately.

"Ok I have to ask. If some other guy had brought you something like this what would you do for it?" asked Naruto a little nervously.

Tenten huffed and gave them all a stern glare. "What do you take me for? If it was anyone other then Naruto-kun I might try and buy it but I knew he was joking so I played along. I can't believe you even had to ask."

"I'm sorry. Here!" Naruto said before shoving the kunai into his girlfriends hands causing her to cheer and do a victory dance. "You tricked me! I want my night of passion!"

"Naruto, you are on thin ice as it is." growled a very large, and still very there, Kenshin.

"Oh yeah... Then my price has changed! I want Kenshin to have a night of passion with his lovely okusan!"

"That's better." Kenshin said approvingly.

"Why am I the prize?" inquired Emi.

"Because I really want Tenten-chan but I'm scared to say so in front of Kenshin." Naruto admitted in a stage whisper.

"Naru-chan, we already know." Emi teased before she took Kenshin by the hand and led him out of the room.

As soon as the door was closed Tenten set the kunai in the table near her bed and jumped on Naruto and again smashed her lips to his. Although this time Naruto stayed on his feet and held her up until he had made it back to her bed.

The two continued to lay there kissing until their lips were starting to go numb.

"I missed you." Tenten whispered as she laid her head down on his stomach and began looking at the kunai once again only to start laughing. "N-Naruto-kun, did you even read what she wrote?"

"No. Why?" he asked while sounding slightly nervous.

"'Your boyfriend is fucking annoying - Tsunade'." Tenten read while even Naruto started laughing. He then of course had to tell her all about their meeting and lucky for him he told her about his fight and almost killing her idol after he had taken the kunai out of her hands.

Tenten seemed surprisingly calm and even waited for him to finish before she punched him in the face.

"Do that again and I'll kill you myself! How could you almost kill yourself?!" she shouted while Naruto was shocked that she was pissed about that and not about him almost killing Tsunade. His disbelief must have shown because Tenten simply punched him in the nose again.

"Will you stop doing that?!" he shouted as he held his bleeding nose shut and waited for it to heal, which didn't take long.

"Will you stop thinking the worst of me and not try and kill yourself again?" she asked only this time her voice was very shaky and her eyes were beginning to tear up.

"I'm sorry." he whispered before kissing his lightly in the forehead and hugging her tightly. "I'm an idiot Tenten-chan."

"I know." she agreed causing Naruto to smile slightly.

"I'm a disgusting bastard that should be kicked by old people and little kids. I shouldn't be allowed around a beautiful woman such as you." he added.

"Keep going." Tenten ordered.

"Um... I'm an ugly, smelly, idiot that can't tell up from down and I would be lost without you. If it weren't for you I would probably be cursed to live a life where I love Sakura or something and am on a team with the Uchiha. I was wrong and you are always right."

"That is all very true. Don't do it again!" she snapped before kissing him gently. "I do love you Naruto-kun."

"I guess I like you too Tenten-chan." he replied only to have her glare at him again. "Please don't hit me! I love you too! I love you too!"

Of course Tenten had to laugh at her boyfriends odd sense of humor and while Naruto _was _joking he really didn't want to get punched again.

"I should go. I still haven't seen Anko-nee-chan." he whispered after a few more minutes. He knew he was going to be tired in the morning but he felt it was worth it.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I wanted to see you and I wanted to give nee-chan and Kurenai some time alone." he explained softly as he slowly moved onto his elbows and knees and held his face very close to hers.

"That was very nice of you." she replied before kissing him again. "I love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that he disappeared.

When Naruto arrived and opened the door he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even with him giving them time they were still hastily putting on their cloths when he walked in. Kurenai seemed to be in the worst situation because her wrappings weren't something that could be put on quickly. When she finally stopped fussing with them she had only bothered to cover what seemed necessary; which was still quite a bit more then what Anko normally covered. Luckily this time was one of those rare times that Anko actually wore a shirt that belonged to Kurenai.

"Am I going to have to knock before I enter my own house?" he teased while Anko slid her shirt on and moved to hug him.

"Maybe. Welcome home, brat." she whispered.

"Thanks, psycho bitch."

"S-Sorry about that, Naru-chan." Kurenai said who seemed more embarrassed then either Anko of Naruto were. It was probably because Anko wore so little all the time that Naruto was used to her, and then there was the fact that Kurenai had still managed to retain her sense of modesty despite living with the pair for years.

"It's no problem. Although I'm glad I already had a nosebleed tonight or else I would have one now." he joked as he sat down on the couch in between the two beauties.

"What gave you a nosebleed? Did you see Tenten-chan naked?" asked Anko who seemed eager to gossip.

"I wish. No she punched me in the nose twice." he confessed while Anko and Kurenai laughed at him. "Also that bitch Jiggle-baa-chan signed that kunai I gave Tenten-chan 'Your boyfriend is fucking annoying - Tsunade'."

"O-Ok. Why did she punch you and why do you call Tsunade jiggly-baa-chan?" Anko asked as she struggled to keep her laughter under control while Kurenai didn't even seem to be trying.

Naruto told Anko about his first meeting with Tsunade and then about his fight. Like Tenten she appeared calm and listened to him and as soon as he was finished telling her about Tenten punching him, Anko punched him in the face.

"Fucking damn it! Why is everyone punching me?!" he shouted as again he was forced to hold his nose and wait for it to heal... again.

"I told you she would be pissed." muttered Kurenai as she smiled sadistically at the blond boy.

Anko then got to her feet and seemed to be trying to crush his ribs as she hugged him. "Naru-chan, don't you ever again think that I would rather you kill yourself and the person insulting me then have you come home safely. I've heard it all before but you and Kurenai-chan are all I have. Only if I lost you I don't know what I would do. I love Kurenai-chan but you... you're my touto."

"I'm sorry, nee-chan." he whispered while Kurenai smiled brightly at the two.

Once they finally broke apart, Naruto started back towards his room until he heard. "Naru-chan brought Kuma-chan with him!"

"Kurenai-sensei, you stupid bitch!" he shouted and when he heard two pairs of feet jump up, he quickly ducked inside his room and locked the door.

As the two screamed death threats at him, Naruto pulled out said teddy bear and fell into his bed with a content sigh. "It's good to be home." he whispered just as the pounding at his door stopped and everything went quiet. "Maybe I shouldn't have said th..." he started to say when his door blew off of its hinges and two angry kunoichi moved towards him with something in their arms. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean it!"

But it seemed that the two weren't going to listen to him or have their revenge stolen from them, as they both immediately jumped on top of him and began removing his clothing. Despite not knowing what the pair had planned, Naruto knew that the fear raising up inside of him was not misplaced.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" he shouted only to hear a pair of giggles.

"If you want to make it up to me you shouldn't fight us. This is a punishment after all." Kurenai said evilly as she started to pull out handfuls of makeup while Anko stood beside them holding a dress.

Since Naruto _really _didn't want to be dressed up like a girl he decided that he had meant what he said and was going to fight tooth and nail against the two. Sadly for our hero, a Jounin and a Tokubetsu Jounin easily over power even the strongest of Genins. So for the next few hours the two tortured... played dress up with their new 'doll'. What Naruto didn't notice, because he was to busy fighting, was the two bright flashes of light coming from Anko before she ran out of the room with something in her hands. He didn't even think about Anko leaving in a hurry because Kurenai soon followed leaving him a chance to be able to get out of the dress and take off the makeup.

As Naruto was finally fell asleep that night he paid no mind the the giggles coming from Anko and Kurenai's room but instead cursed 'nee-chans' everywhere.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about that everyone! Here's the real chapter six!

* * *

Chapter 6.

Naruto woke up the next morning confused as to why he felt so embarrassed. No. This was more then mere embarrassment. This was complete and utter humiliation he was feeling. Suddenly the night before flashed through his mind and Naruto jumped to his feet with a growl. A growl the seemed out of place coming from a blond haired blue eyed boy with a bright red face.

As he left his room he found that the kitchen and living room were completely devoid of life meaning that his nee-chan and Kurenai were still sleeping. Knowing this Naruto suddenly smirked and began a long sting of hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." he whispered after he bit his thumb.

Out of the cloud of smoke that the summoning had created slithered a sinister looking orange snake that was about three feet around and nine feet long.

"I need you to be very quiet." Naruto whispered only to have the snake nod. "I'm going to let you into this room and I want you to climb into their bed and scare them as badly as you can. Do not bite them no matter what. If they try and attack you then you are free to leave."

The snake seemed to smirk at him before sliding through the now opened door. As soon as the snake was all the way in the room Naruto shut the door and leaned against the bathroom doorway.

Suddenly and without warning their was a pair of loud hysterical shrieks coming from the other side of the door. Then he heard two sets of feet running towards the door, sling it open, and run from the room as fast as they could while a snake slowly slithered after them.

Luckily, Naruto was used to seeing the two in their bras and panties because the two definitely hadn't gone to bed wearing much. Anko was wearing a very tiny black shirt with no bra and a pair of blood red panties while Kurenai was wearing the same only the colors were swapped.

Once they saw Naruto smirking at them and the snake disappear the two knew what had happened. They also knew and they were going to make him pay.

"Naruto!" roared Anko as she stomped up to him and simply stopped. Her mouth opened and closed but all she could do was shake in rage before turning and storming back into her room.

Kurenai soon followed but she didn't even try to speak. She just gave him a very cold stare as she walked passed.

When the two finally came back out of the room they were dressed in their normal clothing and found Naruto setting breakfast on the table. Instead of the usual breakfast of ramen, dango, and eggs, Naruto had chosen to make a nice breakfast of omelettes and muffins. They stared at it and when they noticed that there was no ramen they shot him another glare as if he had surely done something to the meal.

"I haven't done anything to the food." he told them and when they sat down he poured them some orange juice only to have them glare at him again. "I'm not teasing I swear. I may had gone a little far this morning but that was payback for last night. This is my peace offering."

He watched and when the two started eating he knew he had been forgiven. If he hadn't the two would have grabbed two cups of coffee and left.

"You do remember that last night was because you called me a stupid bitch, right?" Kurenai asked coldly.

"And _you _do remember that I called you that because you told Anko-nee-chan that I took Kuma-chan on our mission, right?" he countered and by the look on their faces they hadn't remembered that part.

"Oh yeah." Anko whispered softly before she started eating again.

"So truce? Or at least a truce until I do something stupid again?" he asked as he finally filled his own plate with food.

"Truce, but no matter what no more snakes no matter when the prank is." Kurenai stated firmly and even Anko, who loved snakes, had to agree.

"Deal." agreed Naruto.

Once breakfast was over Kurenai even helped Naruto clear the table and do the dishes. This of course was done as a way to apologize for telling Anko about Kuma-chan. So by the time they had to leave to report to the Hokage's office everything was back to normal... or as normal as it gets for the three.

As Naruto and Kurenai ran to the tower, he couldn't help but tease a little. "I wish I had a camera so I could have taken a picture of the two of you."

"Shut it." snapped the woman. She didn't even want to think about how they must have looked.

"Not because of your faces of anything. Do you realize how much money I could have gotten for a picture of the two of you like that?!" he asked only to have Kurenai glare at him.

"If you _ever_..."started Kurenai before Naruto quickly raised his hands.

"You know I wouldn't. For one thing it would hurt you two and for another Tenten-chan and Hinata-chan would kill me and that's only after you and nee-chan get done with me!"

Kurenai stared at him for a moment before smirking. "I always knew you were a smart boy."

"Just so you know? The whole orange snake/orange juice thing was an accident. I didn't even think about it until now."

"Why did you think we glared at you when you poured it?" Kurenai asked when she couldn't think of a reason for him to _not _get the connection.

"I wasn't thinking. Call me a pervert but you two messed up my mind this morning." he teased her with a smile only to have her blush and slap him in the back of the head.

Sadly for Naruto it came at the worst possible time. Instead of making the last jump to the tower's second floor window, poor Naruto stumbled and flew face first into the side of the tower.

When Kurenai landed and heard a loud bang from just below the window she smirked and continued walking towards the Hokage's office where she found Hinata and Shino waiting for her.

"Where's Naruto-kun?" inquired Hinata until a grumpy looking Naruto arrived in a swirl of leaves while picking bits of rocks from his hair and trying to clean off his coat.

"That wasn't funny." he told Kurenai even though he knew that if it had been anyone but him he would be laughing his ass off.

"Do we even want to know?" Shino asked and when Kurenai smirked and opened her mouth Naruto shouted.

"No! I-I mean don't we have to meet the Hokage?"

Without waiting another second Naruto turned and entered the office while his team waited behind just long enough for Kurenai to whisper that she would tell them later.

"The reason I called you here and didn't simply wait until later to give you a mission with everyone else is because there have been concerns voiced by certain members of the village as to the capability of your team completing C-Rank missions. They seem to feel as though it is to dangerous and that you would be better suited to continue on with D-Rank until _they_ feel as though you are ready." the Hokage told them as soon as they were seated in front of him. It was clear by the look on his face that he didn't agree with them but still had to say this.

"Let me guess. C-Rank missions are to important to trust in the hands of a demon." stated Naruto as his tone seemed to actually decrease the temperature of the room.

"The competency of Kurenai has also been called into question." he admitted and just as the three young shinobi were about to jump to their feet, Kurenai cut them off.

"So what will we be doing?"

"You will continue completing what ever mission I may send you on and 'they' will have to deal with the fact that I control the shinobi of this village. Believe me when I say that I have complete faith in you and your team." he answered while the group in front of him smiled.

"You wouldn't to have a list of these people laying around would you?" inquired Naruto with an all to familiar smirk that was sure to promise pain.

"I do not believe a visit from you or Anko would change their minds." the Hokage told him with a firm look while Naruto only smirk that much more.

"True, but it sure as hell would shut them up!"

"There is one other thing, I would like to speak to Kurenai alone but before that I would like to ask you all a favor." said the elderly man as he sat back in his seat and looked at them each with tired eyes.

"Anything for you jii-san!" announced Naruto before Hinata and Kurenai both slapped him in the back of the head.

The Hokage shook his head fondly and smiled. "I would like for you to try and stay away from Team 7." As Naruto jumped to his feet again the Hokage raised his hands to calm him. "I know that most of the problem is theirs but I do not believe that they would admit it so I'm asking you. I know your teams do not get along and as much as it pains me to say this, there is little about it I can do. Hate and jealousy is not something that is easily let go."

Shino and Hinata both nodded before standing and walking out of the room. Naruto followed shortly after a few moments of glaring at the Hokage. He didn't like this agreement. To him it seemed as they were being punished for the other teams immaturity. He would go along with it of course, he respected the Hokage far to much to ignore him about this, but he would damn sure let them know that he didn't like it.

"Are you thinking of nominating them?" the Third asked once Naruto had went outside to wait with the rest of his team.

"I've been thinking about it. I want to talk to Anko-chan before I decide either way. I know it is my call since I'm their sensei but you know what she would be like if I made this decision without her." Kurenai answered while the Hokage chuckled. He knew that she was right. If she told him 'yes' or 'no' right now Anko would be impossible to deal with for the next few weeks.

"I am asking because I would like you to take the next two weeks off from missions and begin training them. Then when the two weeks are up and I call for nominees it will be easier for you to decide."

"And it will give those bothering you time to calm down." Kurenai added while the man across from her nodded. "I'll do it. So you know, I will be calling in help to train them. So don't send Anko-chan out on any missions that can't be done in a day."

As she left the Hokage couldn't help but feel sorry for the team of Genin.

"Training ground." Kurenai told Naruto before placing a hand on Hinata and disappearing.

"She must have something to tell us. Ready?" Naruto asked even though he didn't bother to wait for Shino's reply.

When they arrived they found Hinata looking slightly nervous and Kurenai missing. Before they could ask their Hyuuga teammate where their sensei was and why she looked worried, two swirls of leaves told them why. Not only had Kurenai returned but she brought along Anko.

"As of today you will be given two weeks off from missions of all kind." she stated and before they could say anything she went on. "For the next two weeks you will be training harder then ever, except Naruto-kun."

"Why won't I be training?!" he shouted while Hinata and Shino look as though they wanted to know as well.

"You will be. I said that you will be training harder then ever but you, Naru-chan, have already had this training." she answered as she and Anko smiled at Naruto's quickly paling face.

"You don't mean..."

"Yep! Starting today Shino and Hinata-chan will be starting the training that Anko-chan used for you. Only since she isn't related to them she will be a little bit less sadistic."

"Run away!" Naruto whispered to his teammates but before they could even work through what was happening, Anko was already moving them towards a pair of large trees.

"The first thing I will attempt to teach you little fuckers it tree walking. The way Kurenai-chan and I devised is different then the usual because it is broken down into three parts. First, there is our basic form. This is just walking up and down the tree by channeling chakra to the souls of your feet. I said walking not running so this is another way ours is different then the other. We came to the conclusion that walking, while harder and more exhausting, helps build better control because you are forced to use more chakra and for a longer amount of time. Normally you are considered a master of the technique once you can run up and down the tree a few times but that wasn't nearly hard enough for our little Naru-chan so we added the second form. In this part you are to cling to the tree and slowly work through your taijutsu style. This is much harder because if you make a mistake in your taijutsu I will make you start over and if you lose control of your chakra you will fall, probably break a few bones, and I will still make you start over. Once Kurenai-chan and I are satisfied with your progress you will move on to our last part. Now we will ask you to dodge the kunai and shuriken we will be throwing at you while you try and use every jutsu you know. Again if you fail at the jutsu we will start over. If you don't dodge we will start over and you will obviously have a kunai or shuriken lodged somewhere in your body and if you fall... just don't fall."

By the end of Anko's explanation both Shino and Hinata were looking very scared while inside they were also very impressed that Naruto had completed all of these. Of course they were more worried about themselves at the moment then Naruto.

"W-What will Naruto-kun be doing?" asked Hinata who secretly hoped that it would be worse then theirs. Naruto must have known this because he turned towards the girl and pouted.

"Naru-chan will be doing basically the same thing but on water. Only since we will be throwing weapons at you two love birds, Anko-chan will be summoning a large amount of highly poisonous snakes that will help... _remind_ Naru-chan to stay out of the the water and to not come back onto land until we get him." Kurenai answered and very quickly Hinata and Shino felt much better about their own training.

"I wouldn't be to happy if I were you." Naruto teased. "As soon as your done there you'll be joining me on the water. Also, don't try and prolong it. Anko-nee-chan doesn't like when people don't try their hardest."

"Thanks. Any other helpful hints?" Hinata asked sarcastically.

"Actually yes. When she said don't fall on the third part she_ really _means that it's in your best interest not to fall. She must be in a good mood today because she didn't even warn me when I had to do it." he answered with a slight wince.

"Now now my little pets. It's time to play!" Anko sang and Shino felt that he was going to be having nightmares about this training and this _woman _for a very long time.

As soon as the training started Shino and Hinata found out what Naruto had meant about Anko not liking people who didn't try their best. She soon found that if she threw kunai up the tree in timed intervals that they seemed to make faster progress. Of course this was because she didn't care if they were still standing in the next part or not when it was time for her to throw. Since the two were older and had more training then Naruto had at the time they completed the first part rather quickly only to find out how hard the second would be.

Meanwhile Naruto was thanking kami that he had learned the poison extraction technique because if he hadn't he would surely be dead by now. Sadly this only postponed the inevitable. Every time he used the jutsu his control would waver and he'd get bit only to have to use the technique again only get receive another bite. This wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have to listen the the snakes taunting him. Another thing his nee-chan and sensei 'forgot' to tell him was that his taijutsu style made all of this even harder. Since they 'forgot' that the style centered around falling and diving a lot Naruto soon found himself with a whole new problem. How was he supposed to cover his body in a layer of chakra so that he didn't fall through the water? Covering someones feet, while difficult in the beginning, is still possible but this... this was on a whole other level. When he saw them look over at him and smirk before going back to making Hinata and Shino's lives hell, Naruto suddenly knew why they had chosen to make him use this style now. It was because they were sadistic bitches. On the tree walking part he had been told to do the taijutsu form that he had been taught in the academy and he now knew why. They had been planing this for years.

"I'll get them." he muttered to himself as he forced himself to stay above the water. "Damn good prank though. They even got around the 'no snakes in our pranks' truce."

The training finally ended around midnight when Hinata and Shino were finishing up with the last part of tree walking. It ended because Hinata had fallen and broken her leg. Luckily for her Anko knew many medical jutsus and healed her quickly. She had been forced to use what she knew about her clans move the Hakkeshou Kaiten(Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin) and attempt it. They all soon found that spinning like a top while standing on the side of a tree is NOT a good idea. It wasn't that Hinata had lost control and fallen. No. It was that she had actually made a weakened form of the move and snapped her tree in half. Something even she didn't see coming.

While it had all ended with her being hit by a few kunai and having her leg broken, her two sensei-tachi and Shino couldn't have been prouder and she soon vowed that she would master that move and show her tou-san that she wasn't a mistake.

As the group turned away from the trees and started to leave, Shino stopped. "Are you not going to get Naruto?"

When Anko turned her psychotic eyes towards him and smiled, he truly wished he hadn't said anything. It would seem that Naruto's training was going to last a LOT longer then theirs.

"I'll get him when I feel he is done. You two should worry about yourselves though. We want you back here at five to continue training." Anko told them.

"In the afternoon?" asked a very hopeful sounding Hinata only to be laughed at by the two older woman.

As soon as the Kurenai and Anko left, Hinata seemed to think of something. "Doesn't it seem wrong to you that we're just leaving Naruto-kun here?"

"It does." he agreed calmly while waiting for her to say what he knew she was going to.

"W-Would you like to meet back here later to keep him company?" Hinata offered shyly as she absently slid a few stands of hair behind her ear and looked at the ground.

Shino didn't say it but he thought she look incredibly cute when she did this. "I would. Perhaps you should get Imaki-san?"

"That's a great idea!" Hinata shouted before she hugged the quiet boy tightly and kissed him on the cheek before running off.

This time it was Shino who was left watching her leave while his face turned an ever darker shade of red.

Once the three met at the entrance of the training ground they were surprised to find a few blankets waiting for them and a note.

_Little fuckers,_

_Kurenai-chan and I thought you would need these._

The note was left unsigned but very few people in the world called Kurenai 'Kurenai-chan' and even fewer still would call them 'little fuckers' so they knew who it was. It was confirmed when they found Kuma-chan waiting underneath one of the blankets. Anko could never miss a chance to tease her touto it seemed.

"It is good to see you again Imaki-san." Shino said to Tenten as they grabbed everything and started walking to where Naruto had been left.

"Call me Tenten, Shino." she quickly told him while Shino and Hinata couldn't help but note how much she was like Naruto when it came to informal speaking. Yes Shino would have told her to call him Shino but most people, even having known this, would have called him Aburame-san.

When they finally found Naruto they were shocked to find that he had made his own company. Standing on the lake with him was no less then twenty other Naruto's and as one, which they assumed was the original, would destroy a clone another would jump in and take it's place. The three sat down on the edge of the lake and wrapped themselves in the blankets, Shino being slightly bolder then normal and offered to share his with Hinata, as they watched Naruto beat clone after clone and when he was finally done he seemed to have no problem standing on the surface of the water.

Once they were gone Tenten started cheering causing Naruto to spin quickly on the water and smile once he saw them. As Naruto walked towards them, Hinata and Shino watched as Tenten jumped to her feet and ran out over the water herself but she didn't seem nearly as surefooted as Naruto did. She also shot Naruto a fearful look once she noticed the snakes swimming beneath her feet.

"Tenten-chan!" Naruto cried happily as he lifted her up off of the water and into his arms as he he held her tightly.

"Naruto-kun, why are there hundreds of snakes under us?" she asked fearfully as she forced Naruto to carry her back to the lakes edge.

"Anko-nee-chan put them there so I wouldn't want to fall in." he answered as he made it to where Hinata and Shino were sitting and sat down in the water.

"How can you do that?" Shino asked as they watched Tenten move to where she was sitting on his shoulders with her legs on each side of his head so that she wasn't at risk of falling into the snake infested water but was still close to Naruto.

"Since my style of taijutsu involves a lot of falling and diving as much as it does fast strikes I couldn't just channel chakra to my feet and be done with it. I had to create a thin layer of chakra that surrounded my whole body that continuously expelled only enough chakra to keep me afloat before I could do anything." he explained while they all looked impressed. He then rolled his eyes as when Tenten took down his hair and began running her fingers through it.

"And the clones?" inquired Hinata as she slightly shifted closer to Shino when a cold wind blew towards them from across the lake.

"My own genius at work!" he announced with mock bravado.

"Oh do tell." Tenten said as she pretended to be very interested in what he had to say.

"It was kind of like a game. You know how in some games the more you win the better your prize is?" When the group nodded he continued. "Well it was like that. Every time I make a clone my chakra is split between the number of clones I make. My clones are special in that I can make so many and still have them do jutsus because of my large chakra reserves. Most can only make two of three that can do anything other then taijutsu. What most people don't know about these types of clones is that what ever they learn gets transfered to you once they are gone. So if I were to fight one and if it found an opening in my stance I would know about it once it was gone. Another thing is that they can work on chakra control themselves and that also goes to me when they're gone. Since all my clones were using the chakra barrier that I use to stay above the water, every time I beat a clone my control grew. The longer I fought them the more each clone gave me as well because while they were waiting their control was steadily improving. The best thing about it is that if I were to create one clone and start to learn a jutsu that would normally take two weeks to learn I would learn it in one. The more I create the less time it takes me to learn something."

By the end of his explanation the group was starting to think it _was _genius.

"Wow." Tenten said once nothing else came to mind. It was still better then Hinata's response, which was to simply stare at him open mouthed.

The group shook themselves out of their trance when a snake popped it's head about the water and sank its fangs into Naruto's thigh.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he shouted at the snake. "You aren't supposed to bite me unless I fall in!"

"I was bored." the snake hissed before it swam away.

"Fucking snake." muttered Naruto as he used the poison extraction jutsu yet again only this time his control didn't suffer in the slightest.

"Do you think Kurenai and Anko would mind if you got off of the lake for a little while?" Tenten asked nervously. She didn't want to leave Naruto but she really didn't want to get bit by a snake.

"I don't fucking care if they'll mind. I'm getting away from those fuckers." he stated as he stood and walked off the lake with Tenten still on his shoulders. When the other snakes came to force him back onto the water, Naruto shot them such a cold glare that they seemed to decide that they had something better to do and turned away.

Since the two weren't used to training so heavily, Hinata and Shino soon gave in to their tired and aching bodies and fell asleep as they leaned against each other. Tenten didn't even keep count of how many times she had to stop Naruto from moving them into an even more embarrassing position for when they woke up.

She did however find a way to stop him for good though. As she laid one of the blankets on the ground, Tenten reached up and took her hair out of their buns and laid down. It didn't take Naruto to long before he laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad your back." Tenten whispered softly as she rolled over and kissed him gently.

"I am too. The whole time I was gone I kept thinking that Lee was going to steal you away from me." he joked only to have the attractive brunette punch him in the side.

"For one thing that is gross and for another, think of that as payback for your comment when you left. It took me three days to convince him that he didn't need to worry about his youthfulness. He was coming over at four o'clock in the morning to train because of what you said!" she hissed and even despite her anger, Naruto couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"I'm sorry." he told her even though he was still smiling.

"You are not." she pouted.

"Poor baby." he teased her before kissing her again.

Before long the two were rolled up in the blanket and asleep. Sadly they never noticed the two smirking women that had been watching them the entire time.

"So how do we get him back for breaking our rules?" Anko asked her accomplice as they continued to watch the two couples sleep.

Kurenai gave a smirk that made even Anko jealous before she leaned in and whispered her plan. Once she was done, Anko looked at her adoringly before pulling Kurenai's lips towards hers.

"I knew I loved you for more then those pretty eyes of yours." Anko whispered before the two went back to their place to finish up their plan and to take advantage of Naruto being out of the house.

Waking up to find a very angry tou-san standing over you while you're holding his still sleeping musume is not something many people want to do. Sadly Naruto wasn't given a choice.

"Get. Up. Now." Kenshin growled as he began to shake slightly.

Right now Naruto could do two things. One of them was that he could listen to the man and suffer a beating that would even impress Anko or he could stay where he was and use the man's sleeping musume as a shield. For most people it isn't really a choice but when Naruto glanced down at Tenten's sleeping face he knew he couldn't do anything to her that might hurt her or even wake her up.

As slowly and as gently as he could, Naruto slid out from beneath the blanket and when Tenten turned to try and pull him closer he quickly handed her his teddy bear. Naruto watched the young brunette snuggle into the bear before turning to face the man that was surely going to kill him. What was worse was that if he fought back and somehow won then the man would become bitter and even harder to deal with.

Naruto followed obediently as Kenshin walked even further into the forest. What Kenshin didn't realize was that Naruto mind was already starting to cover every possible situation and making excuses for them all. He then found that, as odd as it seemed, telling the man what really happened was his best option.

Once they were far enough away, Kenshin turned on Naruto and glared. He could see the mans giant hands squeezing shut as he tried his best to not attack.

"Why?" the man growled out simply but for him to even speak in the condition he was in impressed Naruto greatly. Of course he would wait until later to admire it all.

"Normally I would lie and hope that you either found it funny or believed me but right now my best chance to to tell you what really happened." started Naruto while the man's glare seemed to dare him to even try and lie. "Yesterday my team and I started training under both Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei. My training was to stay on the lake while doing various exercises and since there were hundreds of snakes around the edge and in the water I tired really hard to not fall in. After Hinata-chan and Shino were done they realized that my training was going on for a lot longer then theirs had so they decided to keep me company and brought Tenten-chan along because they knew I would have wanted to see her. We talked for a little bit and soon Shino and Hinata-chan fell asleep. Tenten-chan and I did kiss a little before we went to sleep but that is all."

"And why should I believe you? Why shouldn't I just kill you just to be sure?" Kenshin asked as a dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes that Naruto knew all to well.

"Because you know your family means to much to me to throw it all away. Because Tenten-chan and I have already had this talk and we both agreed that we wanted to wait before we tried anything other then kissing. Because Emi would kill you if she even knew you were out here. Because I love Tenten-chan and she loves me and because you know if you tried anything Tenten-chan would never forgive you."

Kenshin seemed to almost deflate as Naruto listed his reasons. He knew the shinobi was right about everything he said but it still didn't stop him from being angry.

"Also, have you ever known Tenten-chan to be pressured into something she didn't want to do?" Naruto asked causing Kenshin to chuckle and shake his head.

"Truthfully I trust Tenten not even half as much as I trust you. She is just like her kaa-san so I know if she wanted to she would and not even you could stop her."

"Tenten-chan's going to rape me?!" Naruto asked in a mock fearful voice. The entire joke failed because of the dreamy look on his face.

"I might." came his answer from somewhere behind him.

The two turned to find Tenten standing there with Kuma-chan still in her arms. It was amazing how much she did look like her kaa-san when her hair was down.

Tenten reached up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she made her way towards them. "Can it wait until I'm a little more awake? If I'm going to rape you I'd like to enjoy it."

"Anything for my lovely rapist." Naruto teased while Kenshin shook his head at the two.

"Can you two at least wait until I'm dead before you go past kissing?" he asked pitifully.

"Can we lie and say yes?" Naruto replied while Tenten giggled and her tou-san groaned.

"You shouldn't tease the elderly, Naruto." said a sweet sounding voice from the other side of them.

Naruto turned and had to stifle his laughter. Standing there while holding Anko and Kurenai each by an ear was Emi, who seemed to be glaring at her shujin no matter how sweet her tone was. Emi led the two by the ear towards them before Kenshin was standing in the middle of them.

"Next time you want to set up you touto you should get someone else to write the note and _you _shouldn't leave it on the kitchen table." she told them while Tenten and Naruto snickered from behind her. They soon stopped when Emi turned towards them. "Tenten, you are also in trouble for staying out with your boyfriend all night no matter how much I trust him. Naruto, I can guarantee you are in trouble for something since you always are."

Naruto opened his mouth to defend himself when he remembered that he had stopped training.

"I thought so." Emi said once she saw his mouth close and he began to pout. "Any Imaki who isn't in my kitchen in five minutes will be cooking for themselves for the next week."

Kenshin and Tenten both looked frightened by this so without even a goodbye they took off. Naruto didn't mind because he knew that the two were horrible cooks and if they had to go without Emi's cooking for a week they would die. They all found it odd that Tenten couldn't even make instant ramen correctly and Kenshin probably didn't even know where anything was in the kitchen.

"So you two set me up?" he asked once Tenten was gone from his sight.

"Only because you stopped training!" Anko shouted defensively while Kurenai nodded in agreement as she rubbed her ear gently. She hadn't been grabbed by her ear in a long time.

"I finished it!" Naruto shouted right back.

"You aren't finished until we say you are!" Anko replied only to have Naruto turn and start back to where Shino and Hinata were. "I won."

"Yes you did." Kurenai said before she kissed her quickly and followed after Naruto.

When Naruto returned he found Shino and Hinata sitting twenty feet from each other while they each had dark red faces and one side of Shino's face had a hand print on it. Once Kurenai and Anko joined him the three started laughing much to the dismay of the young couple.

While Naruto, Kurenai, and Anko were rolling around on the ground laughing, Hinata shyly got to her feet and walked over to Shino. "I-I'm sorry I slapped you. I was just so surprised to wake up like that."

Shino move slightly closer to her and slid his hand into hers. "I understand why you would react in such a way. I was just as surprised as you to find myself in such a position. Please do not be worried."

Truthfully he had woke up in the middle of the night and decided to play dumb in the morning. He had hoped that Hinata wouldn't scream and hit him but he wasn't surprised when she had. Shino blamed his new found behavior completely on Naruto and puberty. The stupid demon vessel and the stupid hormones were making him do and think things he normally wouldn't have. Of course before this all started he hadn't been all that interested in girls but now that it had he found himself thinking of Hinata more and more.

"Y-You two are... Fuck! Tenten-chan took Kuma-chan!" Naruto screamed before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind Anko and Kurenai who were now crying they were laughing so hard and even Hinata and Shino, who had forgotten their own embarrassment, started laughing. Oddly enough Shino had chosen to actually laugh and not have his insects do it for him.

When a embarrassed and blushing Naruto returned with his teddy bear in his arms it caused the four to laugh even harder. As they laughed Naruto had to think about how much longer it would be before one of them wet themselves. Sadly they had chosen to calm down instead of his option.

"S-Since it's five w-we're going to start training." Kurenai told her team while the last few traces of laughter finally left. Only her warm smile never did.

"Naru-chan, we want to to continue fighting clones but this time integrate jutsus into the fights." Anko ordered.

"How many?"

"Start with five." she replied much to their disbelief.

"Are you feeling alrigh..." started Naruto before she smirked and cut him off.

"Hundred."

"Yep. You're fine." Naruto stated before turning and jumping onto the lake. "One at a time?"

"Two. Just two." Kurenai said before Anko could reply. She knew her girlfriend was more then likely going to tell him one hundred at a time. "Hinata-chan, yesterday you surprised us all by even doing a small potion of the Hakkeshou Kaiten. So today you are going to focus most of your time on that move and yes you will be on the ground this time."

The group then smiled at Hinata's relieved look.

"But I will still be throwing kunai at you!" Anko stated happily causing that look to turn into one of fear.

"Shino, I want you to finish up the last part before you and I will be going to the other side of the lake to start the water walking form. Since I'm going to be there you won't have to deal with the snakes." Kurenai said to the bug user who it would seem was getting the least sadistic training out of the group.

"Lets go little Hyuuga." order Anko as she started towards the clearing.

"H-Have I told you how b-beautiful you look today?" Hinata stuttered nervously as she followed the older woman.

"No you haven't but even if you had it wouldn't help. You're not my type." teased Anko while Hinata now looked scared and embarrassed. "I'm not really all that bad am I?"

"I think your wonderful. Your strength is to the point that I could only dream of having. You body is developed in a way that I env... This isn't helping any is it?" Hinata asked and when Anko shook her head and smiled her shoulders dropped.

"At least you won't die! I think." Anko told her but the last part kind of ruined it. Once Anko had Hinata standing in the center of the clearing she formed a familiar cross shape with her fingers and said. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

While Hinata was expecting more, Anko only made three. Then what Naruto said from the night before flashed through her mind. She had only made three so they had enough chakra to use jutsus.

Anko smiled as she saw a look of understanding and fear appear on Hinata's face. "We are going to throw kunai at you and if you can't dodge then you will get hit and it will hurt. Also, I'm going to use an extra special jutsu just for you!"

"Byakugan!" shouted Hinata and with the at veins around her eyes budged.

Anko and her clones smirked and pulled out two kunai each as the surrounded the girl. Hinata had been very worried and Anko only pulled out eight kunai. Since she was far from ignorant, Hinata knew something else was coming. Technically everyone excepts the worse when it comes to Anko so for Hinata, who had been around the woman for years, it was more like common sense.

As Anko and her clones pulled back and launched the kunai each one of them shouted. "Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"(Kunai Shadow Clone Technique)

Hinata watched as those eight kunai seperated again and again and by the time they were about to hit her there were too many to count. Even with her eyes. With one last look, Hinata started to spin as she began to unleash large amounts of chakra from her tenketsu(chakra points).

"Is she going to be ok?" Shino asked his sensei as they watched Anko and Hinata move into the clearing.

"She should be." Kurenai told him but for some reason it didn't put his mind at ease. "Don't worry. Anko-chan is bad but she wouldn't kill her... at least I don't think she would."

Shino heard this and set out a silent prayer in the hopes that Hinata would be ok. Without another word he calmly climbed the tree and began his part of the training.

Kurenai smiled slightly as her student walked up the tree without even a slight pause to concentrat. This training was shapeing up to be far better then any she could remember. Yes they had seen the affects when it came to Naruto but he was never normal so they couldn't tell if it was the training or just him. Now it would seem that it was both. They still couldn't say that it was purely their training but they knew it was a large part of it.

As Naruto continued to fight he learned one thing about dismissing a clone as weak. Don't do it. Each clone was equally as strong and as fast as he was and was as skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu as the original. The only time he was stronger then them was when it came to jutsus. Luckily for him his chakra refilled at an astonishing rate so even with the enital divison it was already coming back. Only his clones weren't about to give him the time he needed for a complete recovery so he was forced to match them fist for fist and kick for kick until his chakra returned. It wouldn't have been so hard if it had only been one clone at a time but no, his sensei and nee-chan had to be psychopaths and make it two. Not a large increase as far as numbers but when you are faceing someone just as fast and as skilled at taijutsu as you are, two is a very large increase when it comes to skill level required to beat them.

Needless to say, Naruto was using the body flicker many many times to give him an advantage in speed. This only worked for the first hundred or so clones because after that their teamwork increased and they started watching the other's back. Of course this made Naruto slightly nervous because his clones were such slow learners. He only hoped that common sence was divided too or else he was a lot less intelligent then he thought he was.

Finally the two weeks were over. Finally Team 8 would be able to escape their second sensei and only have to deal with their kind and loving sensei who was only a tiny fraction as sadistic as the other. Finally it was time for Anko and Kurenai to have a talk that one of them had been dreading.

While Team 8 celebrated surviving their training by eating at Ichiraku Ramen Bar, Kurenai took Anko to the back of the place to talk.

"Anko-chan, we need to talk." Kurenai said softly causing Anko to look startled. "NO! It's not that. I don't think I'll ever have to talk to you about that."

"Then what is it?" Anko asked as her heart started slowing down. She was going to have to speak to Kurenai about starting a serious talk like that. She had been worried that Kurenai was leaving her and that was not a feeling she liked.

"As you know the Chuunin Exam is in a few days and I've been asked by the Hokage if I'm going to nominate my team. I didn't tell him either way yet because I wanted to talk to you about it." Kurenai answered and as she did she felt Anko stiffen slightly.

"And how do you think they would do?" Anko asked with an air about her that screamed 'warning: proceed with caution'.

"I want them to take it. I believe they have as good a chance at being promoted as anyone."

"Then why ask me?"

"Because I want you to tell me you're ok with it. Say the word and I'll not let them take it. I know I'm bias when it comes to my team's skill so I'm also hoping that you could tell me how good they really are." Kurenai asnwered as she placed her hand on Anko's thigh and squeezed.

"Their good. If anyone is going to pass it will be those three." Anko admitted grudgingly.

"What should I do?" Kurenai whispered.

"You're their sensei. It is up to you."

"You know as well as I do that isn't the case. If I nominated them and Naruto got hurt you would kill me. I also respect your opinion so I want to know what you think. If they were your team and Naruto wasn't your touto, what would you do?"

"Nominate them in a second." Anko whispered as she hung her head. She didn't like the idea of Naruto moving up in the ranks because she knew it would mean that he would be given even more dangerous missions. Missions that he might not come back from.

"So what should _I _do?"

"Nominate them. You've all earned it. Show those fuckers who say that your team isn't ready for the life of a shinobi how good they really are." came her answer.

"So you won't hold it agaisnt me? I don't want to sleep on the couch." Kurenai asked her as she slowly slid her hand up Anko's thigh.

Anko looked down at the hand smiled before she turned towards Kurenai and whispered. "It's your choice. I also won't be letting you sleep anywhere but in bed with me!"

"So when should we tell them?"

"After you do it. Now lets go join the 'I survived my training with a psycho bitch and her lover' party." Anko stated as she stood and pulled Kurenai to her feet and back to her team.

"You guys weren't making out were you?" teased Hinata while Kurenai and Anko didn't look at all embarrassed.

"Are you kidding? Those two wouldn't have left the room just to do that!" shouted Naruto and just to prove his point Anko pulled Kurenai into a kiss that seemed to be getting deeper with every passing moment.

Oddly enough that while they were kissing Teuchi and Ayame seemed to get a lot more business. Although it seemed to thin back out after the group had paid for their food and left. He also had to listen to his musume mutter about perverts for the rest of the day.

That night the Hokage called every availible Jounin sensei and a certain Tokubetsu Jounin into a large meeting room where he asked the question Kurenai and Anko had been thinking about nonstop.

"As you know that the day after tomorrow we will be hosting the Chuunin Exam. Like every year I will ask those of you that are senseis to step forward and nominate your team. I will remind you to only nominate your team if you are certain they are ready for what the rank will mean. At this time would all Jounin incharge of new Genin step forward." said the Hokage before Kurenai, Kakashi, and Asuma stepped forward. "Do any of you wish to nominate your team?"

Without even a second thought, Kurenai stepped forward again. "The Kurenai led Team 8, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Mitarashi Naruto under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai, I nominate them to take the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"The Asuma led Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji under the name of Sarutobi Asuma, the same as my left." stated Asuma firmly once he stepped up on Kurenai's right.

"The Kakashi led Team 7, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke under the name Hayate Kakashi, the same as my right." said a still lazy looking Jounin as he stepped up to Kurenai's left.

As whispers broke out, many were trying to complain to the Hokage that a certain team wasn't ready.

"All of them... how rare." the Hokage said to himself while not paying any heed to the people shouting.

"Hokage-sama, I must also protest allowing Team 8 to undergo this exam." Kakashi stated while Anko and Kurenai both glared at him but only one spoke.

"My team has completed more missions then any other rookie Genin team. They have also been the only ones to _complete _a mission above D-Rank. Tell me Kakashi, how did your team do on _their _C-Rank mission?" Kurenai snapped causing everyone to flinch.

Kakashi's only visible eye hardened. She had made it a point to talk about his teams failed mission. They had been given a mission to Wave as an escort. Through their failure the client had died and the bridge he had been building would now go unfinished. Everyone later found out that Kakashi had allowed his team to continue even after it had been upgraded to a A-Rank mission. It would seem that the Jounin was nothing more then putty in the hands of a Uchiha.

Before Kakashi or the Hokage could say anything Anko stepped up. "We all know why you are objecting to this team taking the exam even though they are the most qualified. Kurenai-chan and I are not stupid. We know you fear how strong Naruto has gotten and do not wish to have him involved in any kind of important mission. What you fail to realize is that you have NO say in this at all! It is between the Hokage and Kurenai-chan! If he thinks they should take it then their is little you can say about it."

"We also only know the reason some of us are nominating their team is because they wish to please their student!" Kurenai said with a blatant look towards Kakashi.

"That is enough!" shouted the Hokage. For many it was the first time they had heard him shout. "Team 8 WILL be taking the exam. We all know they are qualified so I am not going to stop them. Naruto's loyalty to this village is as strong or stronger then many in this room!"

Before anyone could open their mouths to protest the Hokage went on. "I will not listen to anyone speak about Naruto as if he has done something wrong. If you have a problem with him, or any member of Team 8, I will set a room aside and let you all speak with the team, their sensei, and Anko."

For some reason this caused many to find no fault what so ever with the team taking the exam.

"Now are there any other senseis that wish to nominate their team?" he asked and as many more Jounin stepped forward the Hokage knew he was in for a very long night.

By the time Kurenai and Anko had finally gotten back, Naruto was in the middle of playing cards with Tenten. As the two walked over and sat down, Kurenai leaned over and looked at Naruto's cards.

"Are you going to try and win with a pair of two's?" she asked while Tenten smiled and raised the stakes.

"Not any more." he replied before folding.

"Even when their tired they still mess with you. Poor thing." Tenten teased as she none the less took Naruto's money.

"You see Tenten-chan. Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei are a rare breed of psycho bitches. I've studied their habits for many years and found that if they don't make someone elses life misserable they will turn on each other." Naruto said pompusly while Kurenai did the easiest thing she could. She pinched him as hard as she could in the side. "You're a fucking shinobi and you pinch me?!"

"It hurt didn't it? Would you like me to do it again?" she offered but when she reached over Naruto slapped her hand away. "I didn't think so. Young grasshopper, you have much to learn. Sometimes the simplest and most childish responces are the best."

"Oh really?"

"Yep!"

"You two suck." he muttered.

"Only on each other!" Anko said happily causing Naruto's nose to bleed slightly and Kurenai and Tenten to blush heavily.

"Don't say that kind of stuff!" shouted Naruto once he had cleaned himself up. "I really don't need to think those things about my nee-chan and her girlfriend!"

Normally Tenten would have hit him but even she could see why it would cause his nose to bleed.

"But Naru-chan! You used to tell me you wanted to marry me! What happened?" Anko teased while Kurenai and Tenten looked at Naruto in shock.

"W-What?" he asked lamely before sighing. He knew he was going to have to explain. "When I was four I had a major crush on nee-chan. I used to vow that one day I would marry her. This lasted until right before I turned eight. One day she was teaching me something and I asked her to marry me. At first she laughed because she thought I was joking but once I started crying she sat me down and explained that we were touto and nee-chan and while she loved me more then anything it wasn't in that kind of way. She also told me that she liked someone else. I had no idea at the time it was Kurenai-sensei! After that my crush shifted from Anko-nee-chan to Tenten-chan and luckily for me she felt the same way about me."

"Why haven't I heard about this before?!" shouted Tenten and Kurenai who both found the story adorable.

"Anko-nee-chan promised she wouldn't tell anyone." Naruto answered while shooting a still smiling Anko a cold look.

"Are there any other stories like that?" Tenten asked excitedly but before Anko could answer Naruto shouted.

"No! I-I mean, nope that was the only one."

"I'll tell you some more later." Anko promised when causing Naruto to pout.

The night finally ended when Anko ran out of stories and Naruto was told to walk Tenten home, even though he would have done it without being told to. He seemed all to happy to get his girlfriend away from his evil nee-chan who loved telling embarrassing stories about his childhood. What she loved even more was tricking Naruto into telling them himself.

"You were so cute when you were little!" cooed Tenten as she latched onto his arm as they neared her house.

"I know. You've told me about a hundred times since we left my house." came her reply.

"Well if you're going to be like that." she pouted as she dropped his arm and started walking faster. She was completely positive that Naruto would chase after her and as a pair of arms circled her waist she couldn't help but smirk. "Wrapped around my little finger."

"I don't mind." he whispered before kissing her lightly on the back of her neck. "But you know if I was the one to get mad you would do the same thing."

"That may be true but that isn't the case now is it?" she teased as she stepped back onto his feet and the two continued walking as best they could.

By the time they had finally arrived Tenten was laughing loudly and Naruto was fighting a smile. They had soon found that they weren't very good at walking like this and it showed every time they fell over.

"I believe a reward is in order for safely escorting you home." Naruto said as Tenten stepped off of his feet and turned to face him.

"You do? I don't have any money." Tenten said coyly as she raised a finger to her chin and petended to think.

"That's good because I don't want money." he told her.

"Well what do you want?" Tenten offered.

Naruto smiled and very slowly leaned in. Just when his lips were about to touch hers he said. "I want a monkey butler."

Tenten, who had fully expected to be kissed, only stared at him as she tried to work through what he had said. When she finally did she shook her head. "I can't help you with that one. Anything else in that blissfully empty mind of yours?"

"A few things."

"Any I can help you with?"

"One or two. Will you help?"

"Sure." Tenten answered. By now she really wanted her kiss.

"Ok, go get your kaa-san." ordered Naruto while Tenten suddenly looked confused.

"Why?"

"Because I want to marry her!" he said happily only to have Tenten roll her eyes and forced his lips to meet hers.

As soon as their lips met Naruto stopped joking and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Never mind, I just want you. I'm scared of you tou-san anyway." Naruto whispered as soon as they seperated.

"Then should you really be kissing me?" asked Tenten.

"I'm not _that_ scared of him." he stated firmly before kissing her again to prove his point.

"Goodnight." Tenten whispered and as she turned and started into her house she heard her reply.

"Goodnight, Tenten-chan."

The next day had passed in a blur because all of Team 8 was on cloud nine after hearing that Kurenai had nominated them for the Chuunin Exam. The rest of the day was spent with Tenten telling them everything she had been told about the exam and some last minute stratagies. Of course they promised to leave Team Guy alone because of Tenten and also because they all liked Lee. Those two seemed to make up for whatever fault Neji had.

Finally when the morning of the exam came, Naruto was dressed and out the door just as the sun was beginning to rise. He thought that he would have to go and get the rest of his team but as he neared the building where the exam was being held he saw Shino and Hinata making their way towards him from opposite directions.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked his team.

"As soon as I woke up I was to nervous to sleep." Hinata admitted while Shino nodded his head.

It had been the same for him. Something had woken him up and he then found it impossible to fall back asleep. Luckily for all of them the fear and excitement was pouring adrenaline into their bodies so sleep was now the furthest thing from their mind.

"Don't worry so much Hinata-chan. We all know you could make Chuunin in a second." Naruto said confidently but when she looked at Shino out of the corner of her eye he knew his approval didn't mean as much anymore. "Right Shino?"

Shino looked at Naruto before turning to face Hinata. "He is correct. This village would be lucky to have you as a Chuunin."

"Thanks you two." she said softly as her cheeks flushed slightly.

"So what about me, Shino-kun?" Naruto asked as he looked at his silent friend as if he were in love.

"You should be exiled." Shino stated calmly causing Hinata to laugh and Naruto to frown.

"I thought you were the no joking type."

"I was. Hinata-chan and you don't allow people that luxury."

"You know. I think that is the first time I've heard you call her Hinata-chan." teased Naruto only to have them blush and fall silent. "Besides, I like you better like this. It's not really all that fun to make fun of someone who doesn't tease back."

"So... when do you want start our plan?" asked Hinata while trying to get the conversation away from her and Shino's relationship. The two were very happy with it so far but it was still very new to them so they still got embarrassed easily when someone brought it up.

"I'll do it now." the blond in the group replied before he quickly ran through a number of hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Suddenly there were two identical clouds of smoke. When the smoke cleared they found two small green snakes slithering on the ground in front of them.

Naruto picked up the two and gently wrapped one around the right arm of each Hinata and Shino. Since Hinata and Shino both had easy ways of gathering information, her eyes and his bugs, they had decided that Naruto should give them each a snake and use his jutsu it see their answers.

Unlike most teams, Team 8 knew the first test was a written one. Naruto had used every bit of blackmail he had on the two and had to called in every single favor before Anko and Kurenai would tell them what the first exam was. While Naruto was confident that he wasn't going to need to use the snakes, he didn't want to be caught unprepared if the need arose. It was the same for Shino and Hinata. They were both smart but since they didn't know anything other then it was a written test they had to make plans just encase. Over confidence can be a down fall in their line of work. Secretly Hinata was more worried about their sensei and Anko getting back at the blond. They didn't seem at all happy about being blackmailed over something like this. Of course they still hadn't given them very much to go on.

"Lets head inside." Hinata told them before they all turned and walked inside.

After seeing that the hallways were devoid of life, Team 8 assumed that they had gotten there pretty early. Now that he thought about it, Naruto couldn't remember when Kurenai said that they needed to be here. But when they arrived in the room that they were supposed to, they found that it was already filled with Chuunin hopefuls from different countries. While they weren't the first out of every one they were the only shinobi from Konohagakure in the room. This seemed to bring a lot of unwanted attention their way. Not being one to back down from anything, Naruto glared at the entire room and unleashed a small portion of his killing intent which seemed to get most of the room to stop staring. Only it did focus the attention of a red haired shinobi from Sunagakure solely on them.

"Nice one. Now everyone hates us." muttered Hinata as she and her teammates walked over to an empty corner to wait. While Naruto chose to sit with his back in the corner, Hinata and Shino chose to stand against the walls.

As they sat and waited most of the room was drawing conclusions about this team. They figured that Naruto was cocky, over confident and would be a weak link. They saw Hinata's timid stance and assumed that she was weak and wouldn't be a problem. The only one they couldn't make an assumption about was Shino. He had said nothing and his body language seemed to be under his complete control. They figured that he was the one to watch out for. Had any shinobi from Konohagakure read their thoughts they would have laughed. They had been right about Shino in that he was impossible to read but they were so far wrong when it came to Hinata and Naruto that it was funny. Yes Hinata was shy but that wouldn't stop her from beating a person within an inch of their life if need be. Yes Naruto was confident but that came with being a Mitarashi. He knew full well not to underestimate anyone. He couldn't afford to. If he did and lost, Anko and Kurenai would kill him and even that would be a blessing compared to what Tenten would do.

As time passed and more and more teams arrived, the room was starting to get annoyed with Team 8. Ever since they had gotten into their positions none of them had said a thing or moved in the slightest. Since Naruto's head was down they couldn't see the smirk that was splitting his face in two. He loved to mess with people. He knew that if he drew their attention and then did something like this it would make a lot of teams mad. If they were mad they would more then likely do something stupid. No one in the room knew that everything they had done so far had been planed out. From Hinata's timid appearance to Naruto's burst of killing intent. Of course as time went on Naruto was starting to wonder if Shino had fallen asleep by the deep breathing that could be heard.

Their team finally moved to look up once they heard a commotion at the door. Looking up Naruto found a slightly battered Sasuke and a laughing Kiba talking loudly with the other members of the rookie nine. He then noticed Team Guy slip into the room and when Tenten meet his gaze they both smiled slightly before turning away. They knew they had to be professional right then. Intimidation and appearance matter in the world of the shinobi.

"Should we?" Shino asked quietly.

"No. Let them look stupid." Hinata replied while Shino nodded and fell silent again.

_Kami I love this team. _Thought Naruto fondly after they had finished they tiny conversation.

Only when Naruto heard his name come out of the mouth of Sasuke did he begin to pay attention.

"Mitarashi Naruto, adopted by Mitarashi Anko at the age of four and at the same time he became her official apprentice. He is known as a prodigy when it comes to poisons and snake jutsus as he has created many of his own. His taijutsu is standard but it is rumored that he uses the academy style as a rues. His kenjutsu is among the highest of all Genin and his ninjutsu is as well. He also has a talent for kinjutsu. His team consists of Aburame Shino, a clan prodigy, and Hyuuga Hinata, who finished second in her year at the academy only losing to Mitarashi-san. They have completed 23 D-Rank missions and one C-Rank." a silver haired boy read off of a card while many who heard him turned to where Naruto and his team were waiting. "I think it would be best to stay away from them. They are said to be one of the strongest Genin teams to come out of the academy in many years. Their teamwork is flawless and they know each other inside and out on the battlefield."

"Yeah right!" shouted Kiba. It would seem that he had gotten over who his team was and had gone back to his usual arrogant self. "My team could take them no problem!"

"That's right! We have Sasuke-kun!" shouted Sakura.

"At least they're agreeing on something. Even if they are wrong." whispered Hinata while Naruto smirked and Shino's smile was hidden behind the collar of his coat.

Before anything else could be said the pair of doors at the front of the room burst open to reveal a large number of Chuunin shinobis and Morino Ibiki himself.

"This is going to be fun." muttered Naruto once he saw Ibiki.

"Alright you little fuckers! I'm Morino Ibiki and I'll be the examiner for this little test. You have five minutes to get your asses into this room and find a seat or I will fail you before we start!" he shouted while many of the Genin were already intimidated by the rough looking man. As the Genin started filing into the room behind him, Ibiki shouted. "And don't sit next to your team or you will be kicked out!"

Of course many who had already sat down were now forced to get up and find a new seat. Once everyone was seated and the Chuunins sat along the walls and watched them, Ibiki walked to the front of the room and glared that the room full of Genin. "I'll say this first. I don't fucking care who you are or where the fuck you come from. You piss me off you will be lucky just to fail. So far none of you little pukes seem to have what it takes to make it in this line of work and I'm going to prove it."

He went on to to explain the rules of his test and how you could fail it. Needless to say there were many ways to fail this man's test ranging from looking at him funny to just because he felt like it.

Naruto smirk as Ibiki took out two items and set them on his desk. A pendulum and a thing he had made himself that drips water at a fixed rate. Naruto knew that the clicking and dripping would drive many to snap. When Naruto looked up at the man he saw him smirking before he shouted. "Start now!"

Naruto had been right when he made plans to use the snakes. The test was hard. Far harder then a normal Genin could handle. He counted himself lucky when he answered seven of the ten questions by himself. Naruto had chosen to sit in the back of the room so he could keep an eye on Shino and Hinata to see if they were having trouble. By the way they were both writing he assumed they weren't.

_Might as well get them all. _He thought before he formed the snake seal under the desk and whispered. "Hebi Mitooshi."

The Chuunin who was watching him watched as he blinked only to have his eyes change during the fraction of a second they were closed. While he was trying to work out what Naruto had done the Chuunin watching Hinata was wondering why she had a snake around her arm that seemed to be interested in what she was writing.

At around the half way point one test taker finally snapped and shouted at Ibiki to shut the things on his desk off. He and his team were forcefully shown the door by Ibiki and a few other Chuunin. Just as the hour was up many of the examinees had developed a slight twitch that seem to follow in time with the clicking and dripping of Ibiki's toys. It was odd to think of how two simple items could cause such problems

"Now for the tenth question." Ibiki said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "This question is special in that you get to chose whether or not you want to take it."

"Why the hell would we take it if we don't have to?!" shouted a Genin from Konohagakure who had developed a noticeable twitch at some point during the exam.

"You don't have to because you just failed." Ibiki told the boy with a smirk and once him and his team were gone he answered the question. "The choice is there because if you chose to not take it then you and your team will fail and have to retake this test another time... but if you take it and get the answer wrong I will personally bar you from ever taking this test again."

At this most of the room stared at Ibiki in shock while Naruto looked at the man as if he were nothing short of a living god.

"If you want to quit then just raise your hand and get the fuck out." he told the group and after a few moments of teams quieting Naruto decided to ruin the mans fun.

"Just ask the fucking question! I'm not about to give up on my dream and run away because of you!" he shouted.

"You say that without any thought to what your teammates may be thinking." Ibiki growled but inside he was laughing his ass off.

"I know my team and they're thinking the same thing I am! I just happen to be the most forward."

"Anyone else feel this way?" Ibiki asked only to find a room full of smirking Genin looking back at him. "Nice speech Naruto. To everyone left... you pass!"

"WHAT?!" shouted Kiba as he jumped to his feet.

"The tenth question was whether or not you would take it. Would you risk your career for the unknown or take the safe rout and give up. Their will be times when you will be asked to do something for this village that will not be easy and may even be suicidal but for the good of the village you will be asked to do it." Ibiki explained before he took off his hitai-ate causing most of the room to flinch and lean back.

Naruto smiled at the man. He had voluntarily showed the room full of Genin his scars to get his point across. "Looks good on you, Scare-head."

While many looked appalled and frightened by what he had said, Ibiki just laughed. "You lucky I'm scared of you nee-chan, Naruto."

As if on que one of the windows smashed as a black... _thing_ flew into the room. As it spun around four kunai shot out to open it and reveal a woman standing in front of something that left the room staring in shock. None more so then Naruto.

Standing in front of them was none other then Mitarashi Anko but this wasn't what they were staring at. They were staring at the banner behind her. The banner had been decorated with two blown up pictures of a familiar looking blond boy. One was of a five year old blond standing naked in front of the camera smiling brightly as he gave who ever was taking the picture a victory sign. The only thing on the boy was the familiar looking hat of their Hokage. The second was one of that same boy at the age of twelve. Only that boy was wearing badly applied make up and a crumpled dress as he tried to fight off a woman with wild brown hair. Above the two pictures was a simple sentence,_ 'Good luck __Naruto_!'.

Most of the room was now looking between the pictures and a horrified looking blond boy sitting in the back of the room. Suddenly Tenten started laughing and that seemed to set off his teammates and before long the entire room was laughing at Naruto while he continued to stare at the banner.

"I'll kill you!" he roared as he jumped to his feet and charged his nee-chan.

No one saw much of the fight because they were all laughing to hard to focus but when the calmed down they found that same blond boy in a headlock while his nee-chan drug her knuckles across the top of his head.

"Say it!" she ordered.

"Not now! There are tons of people in here!" he pleaded.

"Say or I'm not stopping!" she ordered again as she increased the pressure of her knuckles on his head.

"Ok! Anko-nee-chan is the most beautiful woman in the world and I, Mitarashi Naruto, am a snot nosed little bastard who is beyond lucky to have her as my nee-chan. She is also far better then me in every conceivable way." Naruto shouted loudly causing many to start snickering and Tenten to just start laughing again.

"Ok brats!" Anko shouted at the room as she let Naruto go. "I'm Mitarashi Anko. I'm that little fuckers beautiful nee-chan! I will be in charge of the second exam!"

"Did you have to do that you bitch?! I haven't done anything to you lately!" Naruto shouted while his girlfriend continued to laugh.

"Of course I did! What kind of evil nee-chan would I be if I didn't embarrass you in front of a room full of strangers and Chuunins who will more then likely tell everyone they know about this?" she asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'll get you back!" Naruto vowed. "Maybe not today or even a month from now but I will have my revenge!"

"Just try it, Na-ru-chan!" she teased.

"N-Naruto-kun... n-naked... drag queen!" gasped Tenten as she fell out of her chair and clutched her sides.

"You both suck! I had a perfectly good reputation coming into this fucking test and you ruined it inside of five minutes."

"Yosh! Naruto-kun, do not be embarrassed! It is quit alright to enjoy dressing in women's clothing!" shouted Tenten's spandex wearing teammate.

"I didn't want to you fuzzy browed freak! I called Kurenai-sensei a stupid bitch and that's what they did to me! I didn't even know they had a camera!" Naruto shouted as a red and tear stained faced Tenten climbed back into her chair.

"That picture of you are a kid is so cute!" Hinata said happily while many of the woman had to agree.

"You can all go to hell... except Shino. He is my new best friend." Naruto told them.

"Will I have to wear a dress too? Because I do not think one would suit me." Shino asked while Naruto only growled.

"Ok. That's enough of teasing Naru-chan. You all have one hour to get to Training Ground 44." Anko told them before disappearing.

Once everyone had arrived, Naruto was the only one smiling.

"This is Training Ground 44. Also known as the 'Forest of Death'. Inside this forest there are more things that can kill you then there are people in Konohagakure." Anko told them while Tenten looked excited and Hinata looked slightly paler then normal.

_At least I'm going in there with Naruto-kun. _She thought as she moved slightly closer to her male teammates.

"In a few moments I will be giving each team a scroll, one labeled heaven the other earth. You objective is to find a team with the opposite scroll as your own and take theirs from them by any means necessary. Only before we do that..." she said before she started handing out forms. "You have to sign these. Those are to cover Konohagakure's ass if you happen to die."

Once the forms were all signed and handed in Anko took each team into a blocked off area and gave them a scroll.

"In a few minutes I will be letting you inside where you will have five days to find the scroll you need and get to the tower in the center. Once inside you will be forced to wait the entire five days even if it is hopeless for you to pass. As a little incentive to pass quickly I'll tell you this: the sooner you get to the tower the more rest you'll get. If you cut it to close you may find yourself to tired to move on to the third exam."

Before long every team was given the number of the gate they were to enter from and when Naruto and his team got Gate 14, he couldn't have been happier. Gate 14 was the gate he went through when he felt like running through the forest instead of using the Body Flicker Technique. He knew the area around the path to the tower better then anyone besides Anko.

"I guess this is my lucky day as well as the most embarrassing all in one." Naruto said brightly while Hinata couldn't help but giggle when the pictures flashed through her mind again.

"Go!" shouted Anko from her spot near Team 8.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth every gate that the Genins were awaiting in front of burst open, allowing then to start their second exam.

Team 8 took off running into the forest without even a seconds hesitation until they stopped nearly a mile from where they had started.

"Naruto, with this forest being what it is do you think it is possible to find a place where a team died from the natural enemies of this forest?" Shino asked as the three squatted down on the branch they had been standing on.

"Do you not want to fight?" asked a shocked Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, in this kind of exam it would be best to save your energy so if you can find a team that has already lost to something in this forest and recover their scroll we may find this exam easier to finish." Hinata reasoned while Shino nodded in agreement.

Naruto thought about it and knew they were right. "If a team passed through here I know of a place that even Anko-nee-chan and I try to stay away from."

"Naruto-kun, we want a place where we can steal a scroll and get out. Not a place that will kill us too!" Hinata nearly shouted.

"Don't worry. They won't attack us if we are in a group or if we are expecting them. They are very smart so if they think their surprise attack has failed they will simply sit back and watch." he told them and actually saw them both relax a little. "It's this way."

Hinata and Shino followed as Naruto turned to the left and started running again until the stopped just outside of a clearing. When they looked inside Hinata gasped and looked away. Scattered through out the clearing were the remains of two teams. By the way things looked the two had been fighting and when they were exhausted something else joined in on the fight and tore everyone apart.

"Hinata-chan, why don't you stay here and Naruto and I will collect the scrolls?" offered Shino only to have Hinata give him a thankful look and when Naruto gently placed his hand on her shoulder she turned and gave him the same look.

After jumping into the clearing, Naruto and Shino set out looking for the scrolls that were hiding somewhere among the carnage.

"I have... found the first scroll." Shino whispered in his usual emotionless tone.

As Naruto turned back to his teammate he couldn't help but flinch as he watched Shino attempt to clean the blood from it. It was a Heaven scroll. The one they needed.

"If you can, Shino. See if you can find any of their hitai-ates. We can hand them in when we get to the tower." Naruto stated only to have Shino give a faint nod before he started scanning the area again.

"I-I f-found the s-second scroll." whispered a meek sounding voice from behind them. Turning they found a very pale looking Hinata holding the second scroll and two hitai-ates. One from Sunagakure and the other from Kirigakure no Sato(Village Hidden in Mist).

"Hinata..." Naruto said gently as he looked at his shaking teammate.

"I-I'm a shinobi. I-I ca-can't let the t-two of you do e-everything." she stated as forcefully as she could.

"Naruto, my insects are telling me to run. Whatever killed these teams has them scared." Shino admitted and as soon as he mentioned his Naruto heard his insects buzzing loudly.

"This area is completely ruled by a breed of giant wolves. They don't like others entering their territory and to do so means that you enter knowing your life is forfeit. So long as we collect what we are looking for and leave quickly we should be fine. They can sense Kyuubi and are hesitant to attack me but the longer we stay the more it seems like we're taunting them." Naruto explained quickly.

"W-We have the two d-different teams. D-Do we need the r-rest?" Hinata asked as she seemed to be gaining control over her stutter once again.

Naruto stayed quiet for a few moments before sighing. He knew it was foolish and wrong to risk the lives of his teammates just to recover the hitai-ates of foreign teams.

"Come Naruto. I do not think their countries would be able to identify them from their hitai-ate even if we do collect them." Shino ordered and after Naruto gave a short prayer for the two teams Team 8 left the area and headed for the tower.

"You have killed before. Why offer prayer now?" inquired Shino.

"Yes, I've killed before, but I knew what types of people they were. Those six could have been good people." he told his team before he suddenly stiffened and froze.

Hinata and Shino were confused as a look of absolute rage began to fill his face.

"Naruto-kun..." whispered Hinata but before he even started to reply, Naruto took off leaving his team to follow. "Shino-kun, what is wrong with him?"

"I do not know but what ever is causing this... I feel sorry for them." he answered with a slight shiver as he and Hinata were forced to speed up just to keep the blond demon vessel in sight.

It would seem that whatever Naruto was searching for was moving since he stopped and changed directions many times. Finally with a growl Naruto shot off towards the tower.

As he came to a small clearing Naruto found Team 7 struggling to even stand as a shinobi from Kusagakure no Sato(Village Hidden in the Grass) stared at them and smirked.

After looking over the team, Naruto found that Kiba was badly beaten but still standing and Sasuke seemed to be in no better condition. Sakura looked utterly terrified and mere moments away from breaking down.

Only when his team caught up with him did he say something. "Get to the nearest gate and tell whoever you find that a missing nin has sneaked into the exam. If you can find Anko-nee-chan tell her that it is a snake. Once you do, get back here as quickly as you can."

After seeing the state their friend and teammate was in the two didn't even give a second thought as to whether or not they should listen. Even though Hinata was reluctant to turn to follow Shino away from the blond, she forced her body to do so after gently running her fingers across the sleeve of his jacket as she did so.

As Naruto watched the shinobi from Kusagakure his mind began to cloud and the chakra he was emitting began to leak small portions of red.

"How dare he come back her after what he has done?!" Naruto growled and when the shinobi started towards the team, he attacked.

A feral growl was all anyone heard before a clawed hand racked across the face of the shinobi, which, much to their surprise and disgust, was ripped away to reveal another.

"And who might you be?" asked the shinobi brightly as his yellow serpentine eyes flashed.

"Someone who has wanted to kill you since he was four!" shouted Naruto before he seemed to blur out of existence as he began attacking the man.

Team 7 watched and knew it was hopeless. Even if Naruto was strong enough, his movements were wild because he wasn't thinking straight. The enemy shinobi only smirked and parried everything Naruto threw at him.

"Why would you want to kill me?" asked the shinobi as he again effortlessly dodged Naruto's attacks.

"You hurt my nee-chan! Because of you she was hated by everyone! Because of you she is always in pain!" Naruto shouted as tears welled in his eyes.

"Anko-chan had a touto?" the man asked.

"I was adopted by her when I was four." Naruto hissed.

"It's a pity that she was weak. She would have been so much... fun to have around." the man offered only to actually become fearful as Naruto's chakra became blood red and his features became more feral, more primal.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Naruto shouted before he completely disappeared form sight only to reappear just as he was clawing away a large portion of the mans left shoulder.

The man screamed in pain as blood began rushing down his arm. If he didn't finish this quickly and get it treated this wound could cause him to bleed to death. Only there was one problem. He had been so shocked at the Genin had actually hurt him he didn't move as the boy forced his hands into all to familiar hand seals.

As snakes slithered out of Naruto's sleeves and surrounded their arms, Team 7 looked on in amazement and more then a little fear. Even Sasuke was trembling under the killing intent coming off of Naruto in waves. For the shinobi he had trapped, the crimson chakra was hurting him more then anything the blond had done. The blood colored chakra seemed to soak into his skin and burn like no other poison or acid he had ever encountered.

"Naruto!" shouted three people as they jumped into the clearing to see the position he was in.

"Naruto stop!" ordered a purple haired woman as she led his sensei and his two teammates over towards them.

"No! I know I was stupid when I did this last time but right now I'm right! As long as I can kill him I don't care anymore!" Naruto shouted as his chakra gave another burst the knocked his teammates and the members of Team 7 off of their feet.

"Naruto-kun, why would you fight for a village that treats you as an outcast. Why would you risk your life for a woman who will throw you to the side as soon as she is done using you." asked the silky voice of Orochimaru.

"She wouldn't do that to me! Anko-nee-chan loves me!" Naruto shouted as the smallest hint of doubt entered his mind.

"Don't you fucking listen to him Naruto!" ordered Anko. "You know I love you and would do anything for you! He is only saying this because you have him cornered and he's looking for a way out!"

"Tell me." started the missing nin. He suddenly remembered his spies report of how they had found each other. "Don't you think it's odd that after so many beatings she waited until then to help you? You are nothing but a tool to this village, boy. She was ordered to adopt you and train you into being a weapon that this village could use at their pleasure."

"Shut up!" shouted Naruto before he swung his head forward and smashed it into the mans face. "Nee-chan loves me! She wouldn't do something like that! Now I'm going to get rid of you once and for all!"

"Naru-chan, please don't!" pleaded Anko as her strong sadistic exterior crack and tears began falling from her eyes. "You can't leave me!"

"I won't be the one to die." Naruto promised only to have the man laugh.

"Did the loathsome bitch not tell you how this technique works? It will kill us both if you finish it." laughed Orochimaru while Team 7 gasped. They had yet to see this technique.

Naruto gave a cold smirk that with his facial changes caused even Orochimaru and Anko to flinch away from him. "That would be the case if I didn't have a fondness for creating jutsus. I made one that uses only one hand seal. Luckily for me that hand seal happens to be the last one in this very technique."

"W-Wait..." started Orochimaru but Naruto cut him off.

"Naibuteki Hebi no Jutsu(Internal Snake Technique)!" he shouted.

The group watched as Naruto's throat began to bulged at the bottom before it steadily rose in his throat. Sakura looked about ready to be sick as Naruto opened his mouth and out slithered the head of a dark black snake. As soon as the snake saw Orochimaru, it shot forward and sank its fangs into his neck.

Orochimaru screamed in pain as the snakes venom was injected into his bloodstream. He had drastically underestimated this boy and now he was paying the price.

Anko and the rest watched in awe of the powerful venom as the skin surrounding the wound immediately began to turn black. When the snake finally let go and disappeared into Naruto's body once again the poison began to spread causing more and more of his skin to discolor. Suddenly the snakes around their arms disappeared and the man gave one last frustrated cry before disappearing.

With the enemy gone, Naruto changed back into his normal form and promptly threw up.

Anko waited just long enough for him to finish before she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "If you ever scare me like that again I'll tell Tenten-chan on you."

"I-I'm sorry." he whispered in a shaky voice while Team 7 continued to stare at him with mixed emotions, horror being the most visible.

"Naruto-kun, I know this isn't the right time but please tell me that you tested that jutsu before now." Hinata said drawing the attention of his team and nee-chan.

"Of course I did." stated Naruto but when everyone looked relieved he continued. "I tested it once a few days ago."

"Baka(fool)!" shouted Anko before she smashed her fist into the top of the boys head. "I told you to stop doing that!"

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly." Naruto whispered as he dropped his gaze towards the ground.

"You know nothing he said was true don't you?" Kurenai asked once she had finally shook herself out of her shock.

"I-I know." Naruto stated while not sounding completely convinced.

"That man is an evil fucker, Naruto. You know this. I love you more then anything and nothing has made me happier then raising you. Not even sleeping with Kurenai." Anko said while Kiba's, even though he was still amazed and terrified, nose began to bleed and Shino blushed and turned away.

"Anko-chan, we need to go and let them finish." Kurenai advised as she grudgingly pulled the woman away from her touto and disappeared.

"W-What are y-you?" whispered Sakura once the two adults had left.

"He is Mitarashi Naruto. Genin of Konohagakure no Sato." answered Shino only to have Hinata continue for him.

"He is also the person who saved all of your lives so _don't_ say something you'll regret."

The team looked shocked at the once shy and quiet couple, Hinata's own cold glare was enough to shut them up.

"What scroll do you have?" Naruto whispered but even so it still traveled across the clearing.

"W-We don't want t-to fight." Kiba stuttered before Naruto nodded towards Hinata and she lifted up the heaven and earth scrolls they had found.

"Take one." Naruto told them as he just want them to leave so he could be alone with his team.

Luckily for Team 8 the other team needed the Earth Scroll.

"Please leave us." Shino said and without another word Team 7 took off as if they were given a chance to flee from Hell.

"I'm sorry. I ran into a fight I shouldn't have and could have easily been killed. It was just like my fight with Jiggle-baa-chan. If they hadn't underestimated me so much I would have been brushed away like a fly. What's worse is that I involved the two of you and lost control over Kyuubi's chakra."

As Naruto spoke his team slowly made their way towards him. Once they were near him Hinata wasted no time wrapping her arms around him.

"We are a team, Naruto-kun. We understand how meeting that man would have caused you so much pain and cause you to lose control. What you need to realize is that Shino and I are always there for you and if you have something that you need to do we will be right their beside you. Next time don't just run off without telling us."

"She is correct, Naruto." Shino agreed simply as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "I must say, however, that seeing you in such a feral state may cause our problems with Team 7 to finally end. I believe they are to scared of you to mess with us. This could end badly or be a blessing."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "They'll tell everyone I'm some sort of monster and 'forget' to tell them that I saved their lives and possibly saved them from something much worse depending what Orochimaru had planed for them."

"Whatever they say, we will know the truth. I would very much like to be rid of this forest quickly if you do not mind." Shino said while Naruto and Hinata laughed a little.

"Shino, I've never told you where I live have I?" Naruto teased and when Shino shook his head he continued. "Anko-nee-chan, Kurenai-sensei, and I happen to live in the tower at the center of this forest. You'll be seeing a lot of it over the course of our friendship."

Shino's only reply was to sigh heavily while fighting the urge to say 'troublesome'.

Since they had their scrolls, Naruto saw no reason for them to be out here any longer so he placed his hands on his teams shoulders and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Just as they were arriving they spotted a team from Sunagakure enter the tower.

"They're good." Hinata offered simply before they turned and entered through the closest door.

The team spent a few minutes reading and discussing the tapestry that was hanging on the wall. Naruto had seen it many time and knew what it meant but it was important for the other members of his team to work through it as well.

As they opened their scrolls and threw them to the ground, Hinata squeaked and hid behind Shino as a cloud of smoke cleared to reveal a dripping wet Iruka clad in only a very tiny towel.

"Damn it!" he shouted as he blushed and and fidgeted in front of the team. Naruto was the only one laughing outright, although Hinata was now giggling from behind her boyfriend. "I thought I had more time! I was in the hot springs!"

"I for one never wanted to see this side of you Iruka-sensei." teased Naruto while Iruka blushed even more and tried to get the towel to cover more then it did.

"S-Shut up!" he stuttered. "You pass you little bastards and while normally I would tell you about what that tapestry means, I'm cold and naked so you can figure it out yourselves."

With that their old sensei disappeared.

"That was certainly... strange." whispered Shino while he was seriously contemplating asking the Yamanakas to erase this portion of his memory.

"And funny!" shouted Naruto before he grabbed his team again and disappeared only to land in front his his front door. When they entered they found the living room was filled with people. "Um... Hi?"

The Hokage smiled slightly while Anko and Kurenai did too. Hiashi and Shibi simply stared at him without any form of expression on their faces. Ibiki and a small unit of ANBU stood off to the side while Ibiki looked saddened by something. Their was also a few members of the village council present.

"Naru-chan, come sit down. These people want to talk to you and your team." Anko ordered as some of the ANBU came forward with three chairs.

"No problem." Naruto said simple before he and his teammates moved towards the chairs and sat down. "This is about earlier isn't it?"

"Yes it is you little demon!" snapped one of the council members only to have Anko and Kurenai silence her with a glare.

"I will not have you speak to my touto that way in MY house!" hissed Anko while the council members took a step back and made no move to respond.

"Naruto, I want you to channel some of your chakra while Hiashi scans you." the Hokage ordered.

"You're not a pervert are you?" Naruto asked the man while many in the room snickered at Hiashi's outraged look. "I'm only kidding. You people are alway so stuffy."

Naruto did as the Hokage asked while Hiashi looked at every single inch of his chakra system before he released the Byakugan and spoke. "There is no trace of the demons chakra."

"You think I've been taken over by Kyuubi?" asked Naruto before he started laughing while many in the room didn't find this at all funny. "If I were under his control I would have kill everyone around me after Orochimaru left."

"He is correct. If the Kyuubi had taken over he would have easily been able to kill us all." Shino stated calmly while Hinata nodded but it was clear she didn't like this line of thought.

"Are either of you scared of him or wish to be transfered to another team? You don't have to be stuck with that dem..." started that same person from the council but stopped when Hinata glared.

"Naruto-kun has been my best friend since I was four years old. I've known about the Kyuubi since I was six. Naruto-kun is no demon! He is a good person and has always watched out for me!"

"I too believe Naruto to be a good person. While he is sadistic and jokes around a lot, he is always ready to watch our backs if the need arises. He told me about the Kyuubi not long ago but I do not fear him or wish to switch teams."

Hiashi and Shibi were silently proud of their children. Hiashi of course covered this with a mask of displeasure. One day he would tell Hinata how he really felt. One day he would be able to look at her and smile again. One day he would get over the death of his kanai and see Hinata for who she really was.

"I don't even see why we're here." complained Ibiki. "Naruto and his team alerted us of Orochimaru's presence in the exam and Naruto was even able to hurt him and drive him off. We should be thanking them and not interrogating them."

"But he used the demons chakra!" shouted one of the councilmen.

"To help protect our village!" countered Kurenai while most of the ANBU were nodding. "I would think you would be happy to have Naru-chan's strength to help protect this village. You should be grateful that he even WANTS to!"

"Can we go now? I'm a little tired and I think Hinata-chan and Shino could use some rest." Naruto asked the Hokage while most of the room had broken out in argument. It would seem only Shibi had stayed out of it.

"Yes you may. Your team will be given credit for what you did as well. I have yet to determine what rank I should give it." the Hokage said and as Naruto stood up he joked.

"Whatever pays the highest, jii-san!"

Naruto took the two back towards his room where they all happily sat down on his bed. Hinata couldn't help but giggle slightly as she picked up Kuma-chan.

"If you want you can rest here and not down in the offered rooms by the training rooms. Hinata-chan can have the the room across from Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei's and Shino can take my bed." offered Naruto while Hinata nodded even as her eyes fluttered close. "Er... Or you can have that room and Hinata-chan can have my bed."

"I believe that will be acceptable." Shino agreed as he stood and walked out of the room.

Naruto sighed and laid down on the floor before he reached up as high as he could and turned on his fan. "To fucking much has happened today." he whispered as he shook his head and fell asleep while the group in the living room continued to shout, few even noticing that the team was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Naruto, Hinata, and Shino spent most of their time off training with Lee and Tenten, who had managed to finish the exam the night after Team 8 had. Tenten was very happy to see that they were all alright but she broke down crying when Naruto told her about his encounter with the missing nin, Orochimaru. Since Tenten hated to cry she felt it would act as redemption if she beat Naruto withing an inch of his life. Since it was what he had done that had scared her so badly he stood there and took it before her strength gave out and she just cried on his shoulder for a few more minutes.

While Naruto was dealing with Tenten, Shino was trying to convince Hinata to speak with either Anko or Kurenai about her problem. She had woken up from that first night in a cold sweat. Since the day they had found the scrolls she hadn't been sleeping because she had been having terrible nightmares and every day she looked weaker and weaker. Hinata knew she needed help and that her sensei and Anko would be the best people to talk to but still she hesitated. It had become such a habit for the pearl eyed girl to hide her problems that she was now finding it hard to ask for the help she needed.

Finally her help came the evening before the fifth day.

While Hinata was sitting in Naruto's room holding Kuma-chan, who seemed to help everyone feel better, her two other teammates trained and spoke about what they could do for their friend and teammate.

She had been laying there for hours and had even missed dinner and that was when Naruto and Shino went behind her back and told their sensei and Anko.

As tears rolled down Hinata's cheeks a soft knock at the door shook her out of her memories.

"C-Come in." Hinata said while feeling slightly strange telling someone to come in while it wasn't even her room. Although it was as close to hers as it was Naruto's. Since that first night she hadn't left the room often because of the safe feeling she got from it. She cared for Shino deeply but Naruto had always watched over her and being in his room made her feel protected. It felt like she was in her kaa-san's arms again.

"Hinata-chan, Anko-chan and I need to speak with you." Kurenai said softly as she opened the door and the two older shinobi slipped into the room.

"I'm starting to think Naruto keeps that bear around for you and Tenten-chan more then anything else." Anko teased as she pulled the only chair in the room closer to the bed and sat down while Kurenai sat down close to Hinata on the bed.

"It always helps put things in perspective. When we see Kuma-chan we remember what his life was like and how much better it became. It helps us think that our problems aren't so bad and that no matter what they will get better." Hinata offered as she hugged the bear tightly before she smiled down at it. "Besides, if she is going to be the Hokages top adviser she has to be strong."

"She put up with Naruto for this long so I'd say she is." joked Anko which got a slightly larger smile out of Hinata then the one she had given the bear. "But what you need to remember is that no matter how small the problem is they can still seem large if you let them. That's why it helps to talk to others about them. When I was a kid I used to do something wrong and think about it constantly until it got to the point that I would run screaming and crying to my parents only for them to tell me that it was ok."

"I know it's rather hard to picture her screaming and crying or even as a little girl but it's true." Kurenai whispered only to have Anko grab one of Naruto's pillows and throw it at her, messing up her already wild hair.

"Hinata-chan, Shino and Naruto told us that you haven't been sleeping but they wouldn't tell us what it was about. Naruto also made it very clear that if we didn't help you we wouldn't get a second alone for as long as he lives. Normally I'd just kill him but we thought you might not like that so we're choosing to talk to you." Anko said while Hinata couldn't help but notice how much like Naruto she was. No matter the situation she always joked and it helped more then either of them knew.

"W-When we entered the forest Shino-kun and I asked if there was a place around us that might take out another team so we wouldn't have to fight. Naruto-kun said their was and lead us to a clearing near by that he told us was under the rule of giant wolves." Hinata explained while even Anko paled a little at this. "As soon as we got there the smell was already horrible. Two teams had been fighting for the others scroll and both were killed... no, slaughtered by the wolves. Shino-kun and Naruto-kun offered to look for the scrolls by themselves so that I wouldn't have to but it didn't feel right to make them do that alone. Shino-kun had already found a heaven scroll and had to wipe blood and bits of tissue from it. I came out to help and found the other scroll and two hitai-ates like Naruto asked us to find. The scroll and the hitai-ates had so much blood on them and since I picked them up I got a lot of it on my hands. I-I hadn't ever seen anything like this. They were nothing but hunks of meat. Since then I haven't been able to sleep. Every time I try I find myself back in that clearing only this time the wolves come at use and tear Shino-kun and Naruto-kun apart. I usually wake up just as they get to me."

By the end of her confession tears were freely falling from her eyes and Kurenai had moved even closer and wrapped an arm around her.

"Hinata-chan." Anko said as she reached towards her and took her hand in her own. "I want nothing more then to tell you that it gets easier. I want nothing more then to tell you that our lifestyle is nothing like that... but I can't. What you saw was horrible but it more then likely won't be the last time you see it. What you need to tell yourself is that we all agreed to this line of work and we all know the risks. A shinobi, no matter what country or village they come from, is proud to die for their homeland. Those that aren't have no business calling themselves shinobi."

"It's hard and we know exactly what your feeling, yes even Anko-chan, but the only thing we can give you in the way of advice is don't let it eat at you and if you start to feel this way again talk to your teammates or Anko-chan or me. When you try and hold it inside is when you end up causing the most damage." Kurenai advised her as she gently rubbed her back.

"Why don't Naruto-kun and Shino-kun seem affected?" inquired Hinata after a few moments of silence.

"They were. Naruto spoke to both of us the day after and Shino spoke to Kurenai-chan and his tou-san. The reason it seems to terrible to you is because you tried to hold it all in." Anko whispered gently as she ran her hand over Hinata's.

"You two aren't going to try and kiss me are you?" the young woman teased causing both Kurenai and Anko to jump away from her as if she had burnt them.

"I already told you, Hinata-chan, you aren't my type." stated Anko after she realized Hinata was teasing them.

Kurenai moved in closer and blew across her ear. "You can by my type if you want."

Hinata's face turned a very dark red while Kurenai and Anko both howled with laughter. "No wonder you get along with Naruto-kun and Anko-sempai so well."

"Thank you!" Kurenai said brightly as she chose to take it as a compliment rather then an insult.

Hinata looked at her for a moment before turning to Anko. "Sometimes I wonder if she isn't really a blonde."

"Now that was just mean!" Kurenai shouted while her lover laughed loudly.

"Naruto-kun is blon... ok, I see your point. Sorry." Hinata joked only to have Anko laugh even harder and Kurenai to join her. She let them laugh for a little while longer before continuing. "Thanks for talking with me. I really do feel a lot better."

"That's what we're here for." Kurenai said before she patted the young shinobi one last time on the shoulder before leading Anko out of the room.

After the two left the room Hinata decided to go look for Shino and Naruto. Since she hadn't left the apartment much since they had arrived, Hinata was pleased to see that all of the rookie nine had made it through the forest, some looking far less battered then others. She figured that the two would be training so she started down one of the long hallways that led to one of the many training rooms. When she did find them she saw Naruto and Shino sparing while Tenten cheered them on from just inside the door.

It all ended badly when Shino had seen Hinata out of the corner of his eye and stopped without warning. Meanwhile, Naruto hadn't seen her or him stop and continued with his spin kick to Shino's head.

"Damn! Are you alright?" he asked quickly as he helped the boy back to his feet.

Shino stood there for a few moments to let his vision settle before answering. "I am fine. I should have said I was stopping but seeing Hinata-chan shocked me a little."

After hearing this Naruto spun to see Hinata standing beside Tenten.

"Hinata-chan! It's good to see you walking about again." he cried happily as he ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

"They said you went behind my back and told them to talk to me." Hinata stated calmly while Naruto and Shino suddenly looked slightly nervous. This was quickly forgotten when Hinata kissed Naruto on the cheek and kissed Shino very quickly on the lips. Surprisingly it was Shino who blushed more out of the two.

"Aw." cooed Tenten as she watched the seen play out in front of her. Of course she was going to have to talk to the pearl eyed girl about kissing _her_ Naruto.

"Thank you for doing that. I feel a lot better after talking with them." she admitted.

From there the rest of the night was spent talking and joking around with the other teams. They had even met a few of the teams from the other countries that hadn't passed but had made it to the tower to escape the forest. Since they had all been there themselves no one had the heart to tell them to leave. Well no one but Sasuke. He threw a fit until Naruto showed up. Everyone wondered what had happened in the forest to cause Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 to become so scared of the blond haired shinobi.

Since Team 8 knew, they had tried to stay out of the way of the frightened team so that maybe they wouldn't spread rumors about Naruto. So far their plan was working but they didn't know how long it would last.

The next morning was the morning of the third exam. As everyone that had made it made their way down to one of the large arenas in the tower they were a little surprised to find the Hokage as well as all of their Jounin senseis as well as a few of the Jounins and Tokubetsu Jounins from Konohagakure. They all seemed to be excited about the upcoming exam and were secretly getting ready to place bets.

"I am Hayate Gekko and I will be in charge of the preliminary bouts for the third exam." stated a sickly looking man whose short introduction was broken up by a series of coughs. Other then the two swords the man wore at his side, he was completely unimpressive. The dark bags under his eyes gave his already pasty skin an even worse color. Yet he still wore a Jounin vest.

"Preliminaries?!" shouted a boy from Sunagakure who wore face paint and had a large... _thing_ strapped to his back. Naruto wasn't the only one that thought the boy was also wearing a cat suit.

"Yes preliminaries. There are too many of you and since the daimyos are important people and don't have the time to sit around all day, we will be shortening the list by having one on one fights. If you win then you will move on." the man explained as his explanation was yet again broken apart by his persistent cough. "Now, would anyone like to quit?"

As soon as he said this the boy that had read his information from the card stepped forward and quit, stating that he was to tired and wouldn't put up much of a fight. After Hayate said his name he began coughing again.

"Are you going to be ok?" Naruto suddenly asked while most of the Genin were at the very least thinking it.

"I'll be fine." the man wheezed before turning and pointing up at a large electronic scoreboard. "When your name appears on the screen it will be your turn to fight. Now will everyone make their way up to the gallery."

When Team 8 made if up the stairs they were met by their sensei and Anko.

"You guys ready for this?" Anko asked excitedly. Everyone was starting to get worried that if the fighting didn't start soon that she would start her own.

"Yeah. Shino is better then most everyone here and Hinata-chan can hold her own." Naruto answered causing Hinata to smile brightly at him and Shino to nod his head in thanks.

"I want to tell you something rather important." Kurenai said a the names 'Uchiha Sasuke' and 'Akado Yoroi' flashed on the screen. "I have no doubt that the three of you will make it to the next round so that's why I'm saying this now. During the finals you must try your best and put on a good show for the daimyos. A village is only as strong as its shinobi so if people see you overpowering your opponent then they will think our village is strong."

"So we're fighting with our lives for the enjoyment of some fat rich guys?" asked Naruto heatedly while Anko snickered into her hand at his comment.

"Yes." Kurenai answered simply and honestly. "Since the daimyos are the ones that ask us for help we try and treat them better then others. You don't have to like it but if you piss them off you could be costing our village valuable missions. Also remember that if they don't come to us they will go to another village. One that we might not have an alliance with."

Hinata and Shino looked thoughtful while Naruto had given up and was whispering to his nee-chan about 'jiggle-bellies' and 'rich fuckers'. Even Kurenai had to laugh at the name Naruto had given the over weight daimyos. It would seem that Naruto liked to call people jiggly. Only the lords were a lot less powerful the the original Jiggly-baa-chan. She was also named for something completely different then a large belly.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke of Konohagakure!" shouted Hayate as a smirking Sasuke strutted back up the stairs.

"I didn't even get to watch." complained Anko.

"There wasn't a lot to see. The Uchiha had him outmatched by a long shot. Although that other guy did have a pretty cool chakra absorption technique." Hinata told her while not really making her feel any better when she added the last part.

"No one talk to me. I'm watching this next fight." Anko stated firmly as she stared at the center even though the names of the combatants had yet to be revealed.

"Aburame Shino vs. Sabaku no Kankuro." Hayate read from the screen.

Shino turned and started down to the arena floor while the boy in the cat suit did the same from the opposite side.

"This will be an easy fight!" mocked Kankuro as he stood in front of Shino and attempted to intimidate him. He didn't seem to realize that Shino had seen a lot worse then him.

"It will be... for me." replied Shino while giving his first attempt at trash talking.

"Not the best but your getting there!" Naruto shouted as he cheered from the gallery.

"Who is that?" Kankuro asked while brushing off what Shino had said.

"My teammate. He is loud and jokes around a lot but he is the strongest member of our team. You were lucky to be fighting me and not him." Shino stated calmly as he slid his hands into his coat pockets and stood there.

Once the fight started Kankuro was slightly confused as to why the boy across from him had yet to move. "Why aren't you attacking?"

"There isn't a need." Shino said simply as his skin began crawling with layers upon layers of incests. This caused many of the females in the audience to cringe and look slightly green in the face. Only Hinata, Tenten, Anko, and Kurenai seemed completely unaffected.

"What the hell can those little things do? I could smash them all in a few seconds!" taunted the cat suit wearing boy.

"It is unwise to speak ill of insects. Especially to someone of the Aburame Clan." Shino advised in a voice that seemed more cold then calm.

Before Kankuro could say anything else the insects began to buzz louder and louder before they shot off of Shino and attacked the _thing _that was attached to Kankuro's back. As the insects swarmed it the thing began to squirm and before long it fell limply to the floor along with Kankuro.

"What did you do?" Hayate asked as he went to check on Kankuro and didn't feel a pulse.

"What you are checking is not Kankuro. It is a puppet. The real Kankuro was in the bundle on its back. It was a rues that would have fooled many but my insects told me where he was from the start. He is not dead. Merely unconscious." explained Shino as he turned and started walking back up the stairs.

"Winner, Aburame Shino of Konohagakure." stated Hayate while he looked a little embarrassed for checking the pulse of a puppet. He could only pray that his peers allowed him to live it down rather soon or that Yuugao never found out.

"Great job!" Naruto shouted before patting the boy on the back rather roughly.

"You did great Shino-kun." Hinata said shyly before she kissed him on the cheek while some of the girls around her whispered about 'gross insects'.

"Thank you both." Shino replied a little shyly. This was the first time Hinata had kissed him in such a public setting.

"You even taunted him. While it wasn't up to a Mitarashi's standards it was still pretty good." Anko told him with a smirk.

"We Mitarashi's are at the pinnacle of trash talking perfection." Naruto boosted proudly as he and Anko struck a pose.

"You are joking right?" asked Hinata hopefully.

"Of course we are." Naruto stated before he and Anko looked at each other with an expression that said that they hadn't been joking.

"Both fighters are unable to continue!" announced Hayate after checking over Yamanaka Ino and a girl named Tsuchi Kin while Anko started cursing because she missed another fight.

"Mitarashi Naruto vs. Haruno Sakura." stated Hayate as he gave in to another series of coughs.

Naruto looked at Sakura as she stared back at him with an expression of utter terror on her face.

"I-I for-forfeit." she stuttered as she moved behind her sensei so that Naruto couldn't see her anymore.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. It wasn't so much that Sakura had just given up that had bothered him, it was more the look she gave him that made it seem as his he was going to peel her skin from her body.

"Winner by forfeit, Mitarashi Naruto of Konohagakure."

Even as the next names were called, no one paid any attention. They were all watching as Naruto walked towards Sakura with a frown on his face. That in and of itself was enough to cause many to stare at him. Seeing him without a smile or a smirk was almost unheard of.

"What do you want?" asked Kakashi as his eyes narrowed.

"I would like to talk to your team without your fucking ass listening!" he snapped causing Anko to laugh and Kakashi to glare at him even harder. Again Naruto sighed. "I'm sorry. May I please speak with your team alone?"

"Fine." Kakashi stated before he walked over towards the other Jounins and the Hokage.

"I don't really care if you like me or not but I'm getting sick of you looking at me as if I'm some evil thing that likes to eat babies." Naruto told them as the matches continued. "If anything you should be grateful that I stepped in when I did or you would be dead."

"S-Sasuke-kun could have beaten him!" Sakura shouted while her 'love' for the Uchiha seemed to overwhelm her fear of the blond.

"Do you not even know who that man was?!" Naruto snapped. "That was Orochimaru. He was one of the Densetsu no Sannin and the only reason I did so well against him was because I was lucky and he underestimated me."

"Well what about how you fought? It was like a cornered animal." Kiba asked as he held Akamaru away from the demon vessel.

"That... _man _has caused my nee-chan more pain then you could imagine. I know all about it so when I saw him I got very angry. I lost control and was lucky to even make it out of that fight alive." Naruto explained while Kiba seemed to except it.

"And the strength?" Sasuke sneered.

"I've always been stronger then you, you arrogant bastard!" Naruto whispered harshly. "I've been training with Anko-nee-chan since I was four years old. Of course I would be strong."

"What about the chakra?" Sakura asked with a slight shiver. The chakra had been the worst part of it all.

"I don't really know. When I get that angry it comes out." he lied smoothly and the others seemed to buy it. "I'm not asking you to like me. Hell I don't want you to like me. I just want you to not act like your scared of me."

"Fine." stated Sasuke and as soon as he did Sakura agreed while Kiba seemed to have gotten over his fear after Naruto had answered his question a few moments ago.

Naruto nodded before walking back to his team and senseis.

"How did it go?" Shino asked him once he joined them only to have Naruto shrug.

"Choji beat some guy from Otogakure no Sato(Village Hidden in Sound) named Abumi Zabu while Tsurugi Misumi lost to Zabu's teammate Kinuta Dosu." Hinata said as she filled him on on what he missed.

"Hyuuga Hinata vs. Inuzuka Kiba." announced Hayate before Kiba jumped over the railing and waited as Hinata took her time walking down to the arena floor.

"Good luck Kiba, Akamaru." Hinata said softly once she was standing in front of the two.

"Yeah whatever." Kiba said while Shino shifted a little at the impolite response to his girlfriends kindness.

As soon as the match started, Hinata dropped into her Gentle Fist stance after activating her Byakugan.

Kiba answered by using his families Shikyaku no Jutsu(Four Legs Technique) as he dropped to his rested on his hands and feet while his features changed much the same way Naruto's did during his fight with Orochimaru. Only Kiba's were far less intimidating to anyone who had seen the blond.

Then without warning, Kiba shot at Hinata with surprising speed only to have her dance around his attack with a grace that shocked Hiashi, who was standing by the Hokage, and Neji, who was standing with his team and trying not to see Tenten's smirk.

It seemed that no matter how fast he ran or how close the attack came from, Hinata was always able to dodge it. Only since Kiba was constantly attacking he wasn't leaving Hinata a chance to counter attack.

"Fine!" shouted Kiba as he rose out of his stance just when Akamaru sat down next to him. "Juujin Bunshin(Human Beast Clone)!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth a white cloud surrounded Akamaru. Normally Hinata would have attacked but her love of puppies held her back. She didn't want to risk hurting the cute puppy.

Although Kiba lost that advantage when out of the cloud walk Akamaru but only now he looked identical to his master. Hinata watched as they both dropped into a familiar stance and charged her.

The crowd watched in awe as Hinata still managed to dodge everything but now it was by a very tiny margin. It looked as if she had only moved to far or not enough by just a single inch they would have gotten her. But to Hinata that inch was more then enough.

Kiba began growling in frustration as he failed again and again to hit is opponent. Finally he started running and shouted. "Gatsuuga(Double Piercing Fang)!"

This time the two came at her even faster as the spin quickly making it look as though they were twin cyclones speeding towards her. Hinata waited until they were to close to pull back in time before doing something that shock the entire room, Hiashi and Neji mostly. Just as the two reached her, Hinata began to spin and unleash chakra from her tenketsu.

Suddenly a giant swirling dome burst forth sending bits of the arena floor along with it and as Kiba and Akamaru connected with the spinning barrier, they were both hurled roughly into the concrete wall. As the spinning slowed to a stop Hinata saw Kiba and Akamaru laying limply on the ground, unconscious.

"Winner, Hyuuga Hinata of Konohagakure!" shouted Hayate who seemed to have enjoyed the fight as much as everyone else had.

"Go Hinata-chan!" shouted Naruto before most of the room started cheering for the dark lavender haired girl.

"Dear kami." Hiashi whispered before he ran to his musume and pulled her into a very tight hug.

Hinata saw her tou-san coming towards her and flinched. For a moment she thought he would be angry with her for using the move but as his arms wrapped around her she began to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata." Hiashi whispered as he continued to hug her. "After your k-kaa-san died I couldn't stand to look at you. Every single day you looked more and more like her and when you even started acting like her I couldn't take it anymore. It was too painful. I wanted so badly to escape that pain that I began pushing you away, that I tried to change what you were becoming, I-I... I was such a fool. Not only have I failed you as a tou-san but I've failed Hanabi and Hitomi as well. I... I can only pray that my actions haven't placed you forever outside of my reach."

Hinata looked up at her tou-san with tear filled eyes before giving him a bright smile. Once he returned it she buried her face in his chest again. Meanwhile Neji was still staring at the round hole in the arena floor in disbelief. He was the Hyuuga prodigy and yet Hinata had learned their strongest move an entire year before he had. Of course he didn't know that Hinata had learned it out of necessity. She could either learn it or become a pincushion.

The two continued to hug until the Hokage cleared his throat. "While that was an incredibly entertaining fight, I believe the next two fights are ready."

Hinata and Hiashi turned to see Neji standing next to Lee, who seemed to be crying at the touching scene himself.

"Good luck Neji, Lee." Hinata offered to her itoko and the green spandex wearing boy who always seemed to be smiling.

The two finally walked off the floor and broke apart so that Hinata could meet with her teammates and sensei.

As soon as Hinata had reached the top of the stairs Tenten and Naruto both grabbed her and hugged her between them. Before long Hinata had managed to squeeze out of their grasp only to be met with a silent Shino.

"Congratulations." he said calmly before kissing her softly on the cheek. When Hinata jumped on him and hugged him he whispered. "On the fight and with your family."

Of course since Hiashi was now the tou-san he was meant to be, he had to be stopped by a few Jounins from killing the bug user.

By the time Team 8 was back with their sensei and Anko, Neji and Lee already looked battered and beaten. The only real difference was their expressions. Neji looked completely serious while Lee was still smiling brightly.

"Why is Neji having so much trouble? Why doesn't he just close Lee's tenketsu?" Naruto asked only to have his answer come from the mouth of a green spandex wearing man.

"YOSH! MY BEAUIFUL STUDENT IS UNABLE TO US CHAKRA! CLOSING HIS TENKUTSU WOULD ONLY HURT HIM A LITTLE BUT NOTHING MORE!" shouted the man while Lee turned from his opponent and gave them an even larger smile and a 'nice guy' pose.

"Lee! What have I told you about turning your back on your opponent!" shouted Tenten as Neji shot forward and smashed his palm into Lee's lower back as hard as he could.

"That was most unyouthful!" shouted Lee as he got to his feet and turned towards Neji. "You should not attack from behind my unyouthful teammate!"

"Lee, this is an important fight." sigh Neji as he gently rubbed his forehead. "As of right now you and I are not teammates, we're opponents."

"Really?" Lee asked in disbelief before he looked up at the gallery and saw most everyone nodding to what Neji had said. "This is a most unyouthful development."

"YOSH! LEE-KUN! IT IS OK TO FIGHT! NEJI CAN TAKE YOUR YOUTHFUL POWER!" Guy shouted only to have Lee turn... again... and give them all a 'nice guy' pose... again.

"Come Neji we must fight!" Lee shouted.

"What do you think we've been doing?!" Neji shouted back. By now the normally calm boy looked about ready to cry.

"There is no need to shout, Neji." Lee said in a very normal volume.

"That's it! I forfeit!" Neji shouted before turning and storming back up to the gallery.

"Neji! We must fight!" Lee yelled as he chased after the boy.

No one in the gallery could really blame him. If they had to fight Lee they would have more then likely done the same.

"Winner by forfeit, Rock Lee of Konohagakure." shouted Hayate who seemed happy to have the spandex wearing boy away from him.

"Your back is turned!" someone yelled before Neji was knocked over the railing and back down to the arena floor.

"I've done it, Guy-sensei!" shouted Lee as tears welled in his eyes. "I have defeated Neji!"

Everyone watched as Guy and Lee began hugging and crying as a sunset over the ocean appeared behind him.

"Make them stop nee-chan!" whined Naruto as he moved behind the woman.

"Kurenai-chan, what is that?!" Anko shouted as she and everyone else stared in horror at the hugging and crying pair.

"I don't know. Whatever it is it's pure evil." Kurenai whispered.

"Shikamaru is being unyouthful!" shouted Naruto suddenly and as if someone had slapped them the two jumped apart and ran up to the now terrified member of the Nara Clan.

"Sometimes you must sacrifice one of your own to protect your people as a whole." the Hokage said wisely while many were just silently grateful that Naruto hadn't shouted their name.

"Nara Shikamaru vs. Imaki Tenten." said Hayate and for the first time in his life, Shikamaru ran done to the arena floor as fast as he could.

"I've never seen him run so fast." Asuma whispered from his spot by Ino and Choji.

"Wouldn't you run from those two?" Ino asked as he watched the two continue to shout at Shikamaru even though he was getting ready to fight.

"I'll get Naruto for that." vowed Shikamaru once Tenten finally made her way to the arena floor.

"Better you then me." Tenten stated firmly while even a red headed shinobi from Sunagakure had to agree.

"You're his girlfriend! I'll beat you and make him pay!" Shikamaru shouted as his team was both amazed and frightened by this new Shikamaru.

"Hokage-sama, is 'youthfulness' contagious?" asked Hiashi once he saw the normally lazy boy shout and get ready for the fight.

"I do not know, Hiashi." came his answer.

Naruto watched the fight and cheered loudly for his girlfriend. He watched as Tenten attacked relentlessly as she in turn was forced to dodge the boys shadow that seemed to chase after her no matter where she move to. The fight went on for a few minutes before Shikamaru finally caught her as she moved in front of the wall.

Shikamaru then bent backwards as fast as he could and while he placed his hands on the floor to catch himself, Tenten didn't have that kind of room and smashed her head against the wall. As Shikamaru turned and started walking back to the stands, he suddenly found himself wrapped in multiple sets of shinobi wire.

"Why aren't you unconscious?" he asked as he looked back to see Tenten getting to her feet.

"You think a little bump on the head would stop me?" she asked even though she looked very unstable on her feet. What really surprised everyone was that there was a large dent in the wall from where her head had hit.

As she walked towards him everyone saw Tenten cover her right arm in chakra and as it was slowly absorbed into the arm it began to change. Her arm started to grow longer and thinner and before long it even gained a metallic sheen to it. By the time she was standing in front of Shikamaru, her arm from the elbow down was turned into a sword with a jagged looking blade running up and down both sides of it.

Shikamaru paled and when she placed the edge of the blade right between his legs most of the men watching cringed as the Nara boy gulped.

"Cut it off!" shouted Naruto and Anko from the gallery while Shikamaru panicked and yelled.

"Don't cut it off! I haven't used it yet!"

Even Lee and Guy were oddly silent.

"You made me bump my head." Tenten stated as if that were enough reason to continue.

"I'm really really sorry!" Shikamaru pleaded while even his tou-san, who was standing by Shibi, couldn't fault his musuko for begging.

"Give up or your... little Nara goes bye bye." Tenten growled.

"I give up!" Shikamaru shouted.

"Winner by forfeit, Imaki Tenten of Konohagakure." said an uneasy Hayate.

Shikamaru ran back up to his team as soon as Tenten let him go and while most of the men moved out of her way, Naruto ran straight up to her and kissed her.

"That was perfect!" Anko shouted happily while Kurenai was wondering if Naruto and Anko were a setting a bad example for the once sweet girl.

"Sabaku no Temari vs. Sabaku no Gaara." announced Hayate but no sooner had he said it then Temari shouted that she forfeited.

With all of the matches done, Hayate called for everyone that had won their fight to line up in front of the Hokage. As soon as they were in a line Hayate walked up to each other them and had them reach into a box and pull out a number before asking them to say their number out loud.

"Five." stated Naruto.

"Two." said a bored looking Dosu.

"Six." muttered Gaara and he looked at Naruto with an insane gleam in his eyes.

"Three." sighed Sasuke.

"Seven." stated Tenten firmly while inside she was very excited to see who she would be fighting.

"Eight." said a smiling Choji as he looked at Tenten and bowed slightly.

"I have drawn the always youthful number four!" shouted Lee while Sasuke looked slightly nervous now.

"Nine." came the calm reply from Shino.

"One." stated Hinata as she and Dosu looked at each other and Dosu seemed to complete brush her off.

"The fights will be: Hyuuga Hinata vs. Kinuta Dosu, Uchiha Sasuke vs. Rock Lee, Mitarashi Naruto vs. Sabaku no Gaara, Imaki Tenten vs. Akimichi Choji, with Aburame Shino getting a bye in the first round." listed Hayate before he began coughing again.

His coughing continued so the Hokage stepped forward to speak to them. "The first round will be held in one months time. Until then you are free to train however you like seeing as none of you will be sent on missions."

After this was said, many of the Genin teams left straight away while Kurenai and Anko rounded up Team 8 to talk.

"Sensei, I will be training under my kaa-san and tou-san. I would like your permission." Shino said as soon as the group formed.

"I thought as much. I'll let you go so long as you do me one favor." Kurenai answered and when Shino looked at her questioningly she leaned in and whispered. "No matter who you fight I want you to show them how strong this team is. I believe you will be fighting Naruto since I don't see him losing to anyone so I want you to push him as hard as you can and if you can win then do so. Above all just make me and you parents proud."

"I will do as you ask." Shino agreed before he bowed and took a step back away from the group.

"Naru-chan, I'm sorry to say their is little I can teach you in one month. I am a genjutsu user and those won't help much in a one on one fight during an exam." Kurenai said sadly before Naruto waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just wander around and blackmail someone into teaching me something." he said while Anko and Hinata giggled.

"Hinata-chan, I believe you will be training with your tou-san?" Kurenai inquired as she turned towards the pearl eyes Genin.

"I am not certain yet but I think I will." Hinata answered only to get her answer from someone behind her.

"You will."

Hinata turned to find Hiashi and Neji standing there.

"I would like to know why it is that you could never beat your imouto and yet you can use our strongest technique and why your taijutsu is seemingly as good as Neji's." Hiashi asked her while Hinata blushed and looked at the ground.

"The reason is, Hiashi." snapped Naruto before Hinata could answer. "Is because Hinata-chan didn't want to hurt Hanabi. She also thought that if she beat her, you would start treating Hanabi like you treated her. Hinata-chan happens to be very strong and learned your 'strongest technique' in only two weeks!"

"Naruto-kun!" shouted Hinata while Naruto only looked at her in a way that seemed to dare her to tell them he was wrong.

"Is that true?" Hiashi asked while not sounding anything other then a little saddened.

"It is." Hinata whispered only to hear her tou-san sigh.

"I am sorry. We will be waiting for you at home." Hiashi stated before leading Neji out of the room.

"Don't." said Naruto as soon as Hinata turned to him. "Hate me if you want but I'm not sorry I said that."

"I don't hate you." sighed Hinata.

"Since everyone has a plan, Kurenai-chan and I are going to the hot springs!" Anko shouted happily before she took of out of the room with Kurenai dragging behind her.

"I am sorry I will not be able to walk you home. My tou-san has sent me a message to get home as soon as possible for training. It would seem that they think I will be fighting Naruto or Gaara." Shino told Hinata while Naruto pretended to find something interesting to look at. Normally he would break the two up and embarrass them but he was feeling oddly generous today.

"It's ok. I'll make Naruto-kun walk me home. Be careful and be sure to get stronger." Hinata told him before lifting herself up onto her toes and kissing Shino gently on the lips.

"I will see you soon." Shino whispered before turning and leaving.

"I guess it's just us!" shouted Tenten as she jumped over the railing.

"Well then, lets walk Hinata-chan home and go blackmail me a sensei!" Naruto said happily while the two girls laughed before Naruto took them to right outside the fence surrounding his home.

"It feels odd not being trapped in that forest." Tenten whispered to Hinata so that Naruto wouldn't hear. If he did he would have taken them back and made then run through the forest just to be an ass.

The three seemed to be in no hurry to get Hinata home as they stopped many times to look around at some of the shops they passed. But as they were passing the hot springs they saw a white haired man crouching down and peaking though the fence as he giggled perversely. Tenten and Hinata were angry but even the two of them together didn't match Naruto's look of rage.

"That fucking pervert is peaking at my nee-chan!" he hissed before he stormed up to the man as he flew through a set of hand seals and shouted. "Suiton: Mizuame Nabara(Water Release: Syrup Capture Field)!"

The two girls watched as a large stream of fluid ruched out of Naurto's mouth and surrounded the mans feet. As the man noticed this he tried to move only to realize he was stuck and fall backwards. Now, not only were his feet stuck but so were his hands and most of his lower body.

"What are you doing?! I have finally found my ultimite insperation!" the man yelled before he saw the young blond before him smirk evilly.

"Nee-chan, sensei! There is a pervert out here peaking at you!" Naruto shouted while the man only hoped the two weren't strong but when two woman came out of the hotsprings in only towels he gulped.

"Oh shit." he whispered as he knew Mitarashi Anko and Yuuhi Kurenai hated him and his books.

"Naru-chan, I am going to buy you a years worth of ramen for this." Anko promised as she looked at the man and cracked her knuckles.

"I'm sorry!" the man wailed before the two, plus Hinata and Tenten, gave him a beating that Tsunade would have been proud of.

As soon as they felt they were done, the four stepped away to reveal a distorted black and blue form of a man that seemed to be crying over his torn notebook more then his injuries.

"I tell you what. You train my a little and I'll ask them not to put you through a second round." Naruto offered while Tenten and Hinata looked confused.

"So you knew who I was and you still did this to me?" asked the man while Naruto smiled coldly.

"I have a habit of getting into fights with the Densetsu no Sannin." he answered before turning to Tenten and Hinata and explaining. "That pathetic excuse of a man is Jiraiya. The Toad Sennin."

"What?!" Hinata shouted. "How can that... man be the legendary Jiraiya?!"

"I always ask myself that same question." said a familiar voice from behind them that caused Jiraiya to whimper like a puppy.

"Jiggly-baa-chan!" Naurot shouted happily as he turned and found Tsunade and her assistant Shizune standing behind them.

"BAKA!" roared Tenten before she slammed her fist into his head.

"I like her!" Tsunade said happily as she watched Tenten stomp Naruto into the ground.

"That's Tenten-chan, his girlfriend that he got your autograph for." answered Hinata while Tsuande looked at the two with a small smile before she suddenly heard Jiraiya giggling.

"J-Jiggly-baa-chan!" he laughed as even Anko had to snicker slightly.

"I came here because the Third told me that Naruto was still calling me that." she growled as Tenten stopped beating her boyfriend and was now staring at her in awe.

"A-Are you really her?" Tenten asked and when Tsunade nodded she squealed and did a little dance that was mostly certered around kicking Naruto and Jiraiya.

"Stupid Jiggly-baa-chan." muttered Naruto as he got to his feet and let Jiraiya out of the jutsu that was still holding him down. "I don't care who you are! You will always be Jiggly-baa-chan to me just as he will always be Ero-hime!"

Tsunade was ready to ring his neck before she heard him call Jiraiya a perverted princess. While Jiraiya looked a him in horror, the group for females laughed loudly at him.

"D-Don't ever all me that again!" shouted Jiraiya angrily.

"Ero-hime, Ero-hime, Ero-hime." taunted Naruto and when Jiraiya dove at him he did the manliest thing he could do. He hide behind his nee-chan, sensei, and girlfriend.

Jiraiya suddenly stopped when they glared at him.

"Remember, pervert. Whether or not you get a second beating for peeping in on us all comes down to whether or not you'll teach me touto." Anko said, all humor gone from her voice.

"O-Of course I will." Jiraiya promised.

"Oh and I never said I would try and stop Jiggly-baa-chan." stated Naruto with a smirk before Jiraiya paled and was met with a massive blow to the face courtesy of Tsunade and her fist.

"You two do realize your still practicly naked, right?" Shizune asked the two towel clad females only to have them shrug.

"So he's teaching the little brat." Tsunade said to herself before turning to Tenten and Hinata. "Ok then. Since you have to put up with that brat I'll be teaching the two of you for the next month on top of any training you may already have planed."

Tenten and Hinata started wide eyed at the woman before she finally got sick of it and picked them both up and carried them off while Naruto stayed behind and began poking the twitching form that was Jiraiya with a stick.

"Become a pervert and I'll castrate you." promised Anko as she and Kurenai hugged Naruto once more before going back into the hot springs. They really weren't worried about him since they knew he hated perverts as much as they did but Anko loved threatening people to much to miss this chance.

"Hey Ero-hime! Get up and teach me something!" Naruto demanded as his foot connected with Jiraiya's thigh.

"Brat, stop calling me that! I am Mt. Myobokugama's Holy Master Sennin, also known as Toad Sennin, remember it!" shouted Jiraiya and before he had finished a large toad had appeared an struck a pose with the pervert.

"That was the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life!" Naruto laughed while the man growled and sent the giant toad away. "Please tell me you weren't planing on teaching me that!"

"I don't know what I should teach a brat like you!" Jiraiya shouted at the blond. "Do you want to summon?"

"I already can. Nee-chan had me sign the snake contract years ago." Naruto told him as he calmled down and followed Jiraiya as he led him away from the village.

"Have you completed your 'Rights' yet? Or are you going the other way." Jiraiya asked only to have Naruto glare at him.

"I am nothing like that snake fucking pansy! Nee-chan and I were close to our 'Rights' when I graduated but I haven't heard anything about it since."

"At least your not a complete waste of space." Jiraiya said once he heard how he spoke of Orochimaru.

"Well what are you waiting for?! Summon a snake and find out!" Jiraiya shouted after Naruto made no move to do anything other then glare at him for his comment.

Naruto bit his thumb and began making hand seals. Jiraiya was pretty impressed with his speed at making them and when he boy summoned a pretty large snake he noticed that he wasted almost no chakra during the jutsu.

"Why am I here Naruto and why is the froggy with you?" the snake asked once it saw Jiraiya.

"He's training me and he wanted to know how soon until I reach my 'Rights'. Would you happen to know?" he asked the snake.

"You and you nee-chan completed your 'Rights' not long ago. Tou-san has been waiting for one of you to summon him so you can talk." answered the snake before disappeaing leaving a cheering Naruto and a smiling Jiraiya behind.

"You hear that Ero-hime! I can summon Manda!" Naruto shouted only to have Jiraiya lose his smile.

"No, you have the right to. That doesn't mean a brat like you can do it." Jiraiya teased causing Naruto to stop cheering and glare at him.

Jiraiya watched as Naruto began to focus chakra and even saw a few flickers of red flowing along with the blue.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" roared Naruto before he begin soaring up towards the sky at an alarming rate.

"So. You've finally summoned me." stated a deep booming voice from the giant snake.

"Holy shit! You're fucking huge!" Naruto shouted as he looked around at the view from atop the snakes head and realized that he wasn't even one fourth the size of one of Mandas scales. He was nothing more then a speck on this behemoth.

"That I am." agreed the snake who seemed to find Naruto's reaction quite funny.

"So you're the most powerful summons, right? I mean a slug and a frog are cool and all but they couldn't possibly beat you!" Naruto shouted as he complimented the snake.

Before Manda could answer, Jiraiya took it upon himself to defend the frog summons honor by summoning Gamabunta.

"That's a big frog alright but Manda is the best!" shouted Naruto while he looked at the scarred frog and was secretly impressed.

"Jiraiya, why did you summon me? You know I don't like you." stated the frog as it took a long puff from its pipe.

"That brat said that you couldn't possibly beat Manda. I was trying to uphold your honor!" Jiraiya shouted while he wished that to overgrown tadpole would respect him just one time.

"Why would I care what that brat says about me?" asked Gamabunta.

"Because that is the brat that the Fourth sealed the Kyuubi into!"

Gamabunta stared across at Naruto while Manda was even surprised by this.

"Hmm." was all Gamabuta said.

"Naruto, why didn't you tell me or any of my kin this?" asked Manda calmly.

"Because I wasn't sure how you wold take it. Anko-nee-chan and a few others are the only ones that know about it and still care about me so I figured if I didn't tell you then you would like me." explained Naruto while Jiraiya hoped that this didn't turn out bad or Tsunade and Anko would kill him if he was lucky.

"We have nothing against the fox. Nothing will come of this but in the future do not hide something like this from us or there will be conciquenses." Manda ordered. "I must go and tell the others of this. Tell your nee-chan that she may summon any of us without worry as well."

When the snake disappeared so did Gamabunta, so not only was Naruto falling at a remarkable rate, so was Jiraiya. After the two slowly pulled themselves out of the human shaped holes they had made on impact. Jiraiya fell down beside Naruto and rested.

"Are you even tired from that summon?" he finally asked his blackmailer.

"I don't think I've ever been tired after doing a jutsu or at least not since I was a kid." Naruto answered truthfully. It had been years since Naruto had been tired after Anko had made him use jutsus.

"When did you start training?"

"Anko-nee-chan adopted me when I was four and when she was signing the adoption papers she also made me her apprentice. She first taught me how to read and write along with taijutsu but a few months later she started teaching me the academy jutsus. By the time I started the academy I was already using most of the jutsus I know, even the Body Flicker Technique."

As Naruto answered his question, Jiraiya couldn't help but be impressed. _This brat is better then I was or even the Fourth was at his age. I wonder if he can learn it._

"Brat, I think I know of a jutsu you might like but I'm not even sure if you'll be able to learn it. It take a lot of chakra and a lot of control to use. Truthfully I can't even use it. Since you have the Kyuubi's chakra at your disposel you should meet that requirement in spades." Jiraiya said as he sat up and pulled the large scroll from his back and threw it at Naruto. "I'm going to go find your sensei and Anko and bring them here. While I'm gone I want you to read the first part of that scroll."

Naruto nodded and as he man diappeared he opened the scroll and promptly dropped it. "T-The Flying Thunder God Technique!" he stuttered as he lifted the scroll again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Sorry Tenten-chan but I think I love Ero-hime now."

When Jiraiya came back with a busted lip and two angry kunoichi they found about fifty Narutos all huddles over a scroll with a look of absolute concentration on their faces.

"What the hell do you have him reading that would make him like this?!" shouted Anko while Naruto didn't even notice.

"That scroll was given to me by the Fourth for when I met someone worthy of learning his techniques. What he is reading now is the secetion on the Hiraishin no Jutsu." Jiraiya answered and even Anko stared back at him in disbelief.

"T-That's an S-Rank technique!" shouted Kurenai. "Do you really think he can learn it?"

"I know that he can summon Manda without even feeling the difference in his chakra reserves. I know that if I was his age he would beat me and the same is true with the Fourth. If that brat can't learn this technique then I doubt I will ever find someone who can." answered Jiraiya but Anko stopped listening at the part about Manda. She knew that if Naruto summoned him and was stil alive then they had reached there 'Rights'.

Anko was so excited tha she forgot about Jiraiya's presence and pulled Kurenai into a kiss. Even Jiraiya, the self-proclaimed super pervert, couldn't watch the two without suffering from a nose bleed. When Anko finally pulled away from a now dazed Kurenai and found Jiraiya staring at them with blood running freely form his nose and drool falling from his mouth she did the only thing she could do. With surprising speed and flexibility, Anko kicked the perverted man in the jaw only to have her knee touch her own shoulder.

Kurenai snapped back to reality just in time to see Jiraiya flying back a few yards from the kick but he still had a blissfully happy expression on his face.

"Done!" shouted Naruto suddenly as the clones all disappeared and Naruto was forced to cringe as the extra knowledge gave him a slight headache.

"Since even I can't use that technique there isn't anything more I can tell you about it. I'll be watching the finals so don't make me look bad!" Jiraiya shouted before disappearing.

"Hey! When did you two get here?" he asked while Anko and Kurenai sweat dropped. "Oh and Anko-nee-chan, we reached our 'Rights'!"

"I know the pervert told us!" Anko said happily while Naruto pouted.

"I wanted to tell you."

"You can tell me again and I'll act surprised?" she offered but Naruto shook his head and simply jumped on her.

Kurenai laughed happily at the two as Anko tried to fight off Naruto who seemed dead set on hugging his nee-chan. Then suddenly a flashback of when Naruto had done the same thing to her hit her only making her laugh even harder. Tenten had been the only reason he let go last time and she was training with Tsunade and Shizune.

"Kurenai-chan, help me!" Anko pleaded as the blond shinobi was now on her back with his arms wrapped around her neck and his legs around her waist. There was no way she would break his grip now.

"No can do. He did that to me once and only Tenten-chan showing up got him to let go." she told her while Anko sighed and stopped fighting. Naruto rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled at Kurenai before winking.

"Come on Anko-chan, lets go for a walk." Kurenai offered and grudgingly Anko agreed. She didn't want to be seen anywhere with this new... growth on her back.

"Do you two have enjoy your time in the hot springs?" Naruto asked once they were back in the village and he had finally let go of Anko.

"Yes. For some reason the other women won't get in if Kurenai-chan and I are there. I guess they think we'll grope them or something. The only person I would grab is Tsunade and that's just because those things are fucking huge!" Anko answered while Kurenai and Naruto laughed.

"So what are you going to do with a month off of missions and teaching?" Naruto inquired before rolling his eyes as the shot the other a quick glance. "I guess I should have said 'who' and not 'what'."

"Hey!" Kurenai shouted indignantly while Anko only smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Even if she wasn't nodding like an idiot I would have known. You two haven't really had a lot of time for just the two of you so it isn't surprising. All I asked is that your quiet at night so I can sleep and that you keep an eye on ero-hime." Naruto asked while even Kurenai gave in and nodded shyly.

"So, do you think you can learn it?" Anko asked once they sat down at an all to familiar ramen stand.

"That reminds me." Naruto muttered before forming a cross seal and creating more Narutos then either of them even wanted to try and count. "Go to Training Ground 8 and practice but only if no one it there. Summon a few snakes to keep a look out and no attacking each other."

After a mocking salute the wave of Narutos took off towards the training ground while a disappointed Teuchi sighed. "I thought my dreams had come true. Can you think of how much money I would make if there were that many of him?" he asked Kurenai and Anko while Ayame laughed from the back room.

"Come on you old fart! I'm doing the best I can to keep you out of poverty!" Naruto shouted before giving his order.

While the three sat and ate, Hinata and Tenten were standing in front of the hero of kunoichi all across Konohagakure.

"Do either of you have any interest in medical jutsus?" she asked while Hinata raised her hand nervously.

"I-I like to make medical salves. They seem to work pretty well." Hinata explained once the woman looked at her.

"Do you have any with you?"

"I always carry some around from when Naruto-kun, Tenten-chan, and I were kids." Hinata said as she opened the pack at her waist and handed a jar or light green colored ouintment over to Tsunade while Tenten laughed at her comment about Naruto. It was true too. Naruto had always been in need of medical attention of some kind since Anko's training was rough and just because he liked playing rough far to much. Normally it was Tenten that would hurt him. A black eye here and there wasn't all that uncommon between the two.

"This is really good. Especially since you haven't had any form of formal teaching." Tsunade commented before handing the jar over to her apprentice to examine. "Where do you collect your herbs?"

"I grow them all in our garden." Hinata admitted as her cheeks began to flush.

"You should see it! There are different kinds of plantes everywhere and Hinata-chan knows them all!" Tenten said while the blush in Hinata's cheeks started to spread.

"How long have the two of you been friends?" asked Shizune after she handed the jar back to Hinata.

"Since we met Naruto-kun. We each met him the same day and met each other the next. Naruto-kun has a habit of making to people friends through him." Hinata answered fondly.

"You don't like him do you?" Tsunade asked while looking nervously at Tenten who just laughed at the question.

"I used to have a huge crush on him after he saved me from some bullies the first time I met him but Naruto-kun was oblivious to it. After a while I saw that Tenten-chan and him liked each other and I got myself to give up on him. I'm dating Shino-kun now and I couldn't be happier." she answered.

"Why anyone would like that little brat is beyond me." Tsunade said to herself only to get an answer from Shizune.

"If I were younger I think I'd like him. He's always joking but can be serious when he wants. He's good looking but he isn't arrogant and he's strong but he isn't over confident. Plus his eyes are beautiful."

The three others only started at her while trying to see if she really didn't like the blond Genin.

"If anything he's an touto." Shizune stated firmly once she saw their looks.

"So what will you be teaching us?" Tenten asked excitedly while trying to get the conversation away from others liking Naruto.

"Well, since Hinata has training with her tou-san as well as me it will be hard to teach you at the same speed but I want to teach you both how I use my strength and start Hinata on medical jutsus."

Tenten looked like Naruto in a ramen stand after hearing this. Tsunade's strength was legendary and if she was going to learn it then she would be an even better kunoichi. Of course Hinata was just as excited about the medical training as she was the strength. It was just in her to help people more then hurt them.

"Can you imagine a Gentle Fist strike that will knock someone across the arena!" Tenten joked happily while the older blonde smiled at the thought.

"It will certainly be a surprise. Hinata, I want you to tell anyone that asks, even those in your family, that I'm teaching you only medical jutsus."

"Ok..." Hinata agreed before Tsunade led them over to a large boulder.

"Hinata, I want you to watch my chakra when I do this." Tsunade ordered while Hinata nodded and quickly activated her Byakugan.

She watched as Tsunade gathered chakra it her hands at a speed she didn't even think was possible before tapping the boulder while at the same time releasing all of the built up chakra. She and Tenten both stared open mouthed as the boulder shattered into a fine powder.

Tsunade smirk at the two while they continued to stare at her and the powder that was once a large rock in shock and awe. "That is what I'm going to teach you."

Tenten must have been channeling her boyfriend for a moment because she gave a loud cry before jumping on the busty blonde woman and hugged her tightly.

As soon as Shino walked through the doors of his clans compound his kaa-san tossed him a sword, which he barely caught, before attacking. Shino had always neglected his kenjutsu training and it seemed that now he was going to pay for it. He was able to block his kaa-san a few times before she gracefully spun to the left and used that momentum to help gain the strength she needed to knock her musuko off of his feet as his sword slid a few yards away. He had lost before he could even unsheathe the sword.

"You have little to learn from you tou-san so most of this month you will be training under me. This would not be necessary if you had taken your studies under me seriously when you were younger." Akiko stated as she slid the sword back into its sheathe before waiting for Shino to get to his feet.

"I am sorry." Shino offered before he stood and bow low to his kaa-san.

"Do not trouble yourself. You were never interested in swords and I did not have the heart to force you to do anything. Only now it is time for you to learn. We can not always pick and choose what we wish to do or what we wish to learn. For the good of our village and ourselves we must become strong." Akiko told him as she placed her hand against his cheek and smiled slightly. "I have heard of your fight from your tou-san as well as my dragonflies. I am proud of you but I wish to see you against a more skilled opponent. That boy from Sunagakure could have been a very good shinobi but it was his bad luck that he had to fight an Aburame. I wish to see you fight toe to toe with Mitarashi Naruto. This will take more work then you can imagine. You are strong but that boy has strength of mind, body, and heart that is unmatched by anyone but the strongest of our village."

"Do you believe that I will be able to match him? I have seen him fight and I know his strength but even as I stand here before you I am certain that he is training." Shino asked quietly while his kaa-san tilted her head slightly and looked him straight in the eye.

"No man is unbeatable just as no dream is unreachable. To accomplish this goal you will have to work yourself harder then you have ever worked before because no dream is worth achieving if you do not have to fight for it. Have faith and do your best and we shall see where it leads you."

"I will try my hardest." vowed Shino before he turned and picked up the discarded sword and turned back to his kaa-san. "Please teach me all you know."

"In time, in time." Akiko said gently as she turned and led her musuko away from the entrance.

As they left Shibi stepped out of the shadow and whispered. "A dream of chasing the horizon. You will be strong my musuko, of that I am certain."

As Naruto sat among a sea of clones he couldn't help but be in awe as to the complexity of the jutsu. He had over six hundred clones working none stop and they had yet to even scratch the surface of it. As most continued to work Naruto simply sat and waited for his chakra to return so he could make another bunch of clones. So Naruto could keep track of where they were at he would dispel the clones and gain their knowledge only to make another set of over six hundred to continue working. Normally he would join them but the influx of knowledge was giving him a very bad headache so he was lucky to even be able to stay conscious. Sadly Naruto didn't stay conscious after sending away the clones. As another wave of pain tore through his head, Naruto blacked out.

Instead of dreaming of Tenten in all sorts of different situations, Naruto found himself aware of the dream itself as he pushed himself to his feet and looked around. He was standing up to his ankles in water but that was all that he could tell in the pitch black surrounding.

"I really could use some lights." he whispered and to his utter amazement a soft light began to chase away the darkness. "Nothing better to do."

With that Naruto picked a direction and started walking. As he walked the sound of water splashing as he walked was the only sound he could hear. For a minute Naruto contemplated using water walking but decided against it as his feet were already wet and the silence surrounding him would have hurt his ears.

Suddenly as deep growling sound alerted him as to another's presence. Once he realized he wasn't alone, Naruto stepped up onto of the water and began walking silently in the direction the sound had come from. As he walked he realized that the deep growled sound was constant meaning that what ever it was it was more then likely asleep.

When he came upon a pair of giant cage doors that were locked by a single piece of paper stood blocking the path he realized were he was and who, or rather what had been making the sounds. He was inside the seal staring at the sleeping form of a giant nine tailed demon fox. The very same fox that had ruined his life. Yet he was also the reason he had his nee-chan.

"Hey you fucking fox! Wake up!" Naruto shouted as he moved closer and kicked the fox through the opening between the bars.

**"What do you want, filthy human?" **asked the great beast as it lazily opened one eyes and gazed at Naruto.

"Nothing really. I just want to fuck with you a little for making my life hell before Anko-nee-chan found me." Naruto told the fox before he reached in again and kicked him.

The Kyuubi gave a deep raspy laugh before responding. **"So your my pathetic vessel. At least your brave and not some ninny."**

"Who the fuck still uses the word 'ninny'?" asked Naruto loudly.

**"Who the fuck teases a caged animal? Why don't you join me inside this cage and we'll see how brave you are." **Kyuubi offered only to have Naruto slip between the bars and look at him expectingly.

"Do you really think this will matter? You have no real body so go ahead and try and kill me. Hell if you succeed you can have my body!"

The Kyuubi growled and swiped at him with it's giant razor like claws only for them to pass right through. For the next hour or so the giant fox tried everything he could think of to kill the blond boy but nothing worked.

"Are you finished?" Naruto asked only to have the fox flop down on the ground and bare it's fangs; which even if they couldn't hurt you, they were still pretty scary.

**"Go away." **the fox ordered only to have Naruto walk up and start kicking him again. **"That doesn't even hurt so why do it?"**

"It might not hurt but I bet it's really fucking annoying." taunted Naruto as he continued to kick.

**"Yes. Yes it is." **growled Kyuubi through clenched fangs.

"Why did you attack us anyway? I mean if your so powerful what would one measly shinobi village be to you?"

**"I was just passing through and saw your village and decided to have some fun. I slaughtered hundreds until that bastard on the frog showed up and sealed me inside of you." **the fox answered while his voice became cold when he remember the man who had sealed him.

"So you're just a bastard. You just wanted to kill everyone for the fun of it." stated Naruto with yet another kick. This time though he also reached out and pulled a single piece of fur from the giant fox.

**"What the fuck is wrong with you?! That fucking hurt!" **roared Kyuubi as he jumped to his feet and rounded on Naruto.

"You big baby. It doesn't hurt that bad. Here I'll even do to mysel... Fuck that hurts!" he screamed after he pulled a hair from his own head.

**"I'm already being punished by being here so why don't you leave!" **Kyuubi shouted before laying down again and closing his eyes.

Naruto smirk and reached out and plucked another piece of fur off of the most feared demon to ever walk among them.

**"You thrice damned hairless monkey! Stop doing that!" **shouted the fox while Naruto only smiled.

"Give me control of your chakra and I'll leave."

**"Fuck you meat bag! I'm not giving you sh... That fucking hurts damn it! Ok, ok. You can use my chakra when ever you need it but I want something from you." **the fox conceded after yet another piece of fur was pulled out. **"I want you to make this place into something better then a fucking sewer."**

Naruto shrugged and walked over to the doors and looked at the seal. He reached up and touched the piece of paper while concentrating on what he wanted the cage to look like. As the room began to blur, Kyuubi watched as the cage stretched in all directions and slowly became a giant forest. The trees were so large that even he couldn't jump over them. He then focused on the sounds of the forest and silently hoped they were real. When he came upon a village of people the Kyuubi cheered before storming the village and killing everyone in it.

Naruto watched the fox slaughter everyone in the 'village' and couldn't help but laugh.

**"Now this is more like it!" **Kyuubi roared as more and more people appeared for him to kill. He was so caught up in his playing that he didn't notice Naruto walk up and pluck one last piece of fur. **"I fucking thought we had a truce!"**

"We do... now. I'll be leaving fuzzy." Naruto stated before his vision of the surrounding forest gave way to the real one of Training Ground 8.

As the sun began to raise Naruto realized that he must have been in the seal a lot longer then he thought. As he stood and started to create some more clones he was shocked to find that his chakra was no longer blue with the occasional flicker of red. It was now purple.

"This is so fucking cool!" Naruto shouted before he used as much chakra as he usually did to make five hundred clones but instead of five hundred he found himself surrounded by one thousand. "That means my chakra is twice as potent! This keeps getting better and better! Plus I was able to fuck with that bastard fox!"

Naruto gave his clones their orders before disappearing in a swirl of leaves and reappearing outside his front door. Just as he hand touched he door knob it flung open to reveal his nee-chan.

"Oh shit." he whispered as she grabbed him by the hair and threw him into the room before slamming the door shut. "I haven't done anything yet!"

"Damn right you didn't! You _didn't_ come home last night you little bastard!" Anko shouted while a still tired looking Kurenai entered the room to find Anko yelling at Naruto only to turn around an walk right back into her room.

"I was training and I lost track of time!" Naruto shouted.

"I don't care what you were doing! I was worried sick!" Anko screamed and this time Naruto sighed and hung his head. He knew she was right to yell at him even if he didn't mean to stay out all night. "What? No more fucking excuses?"

"No. You're right. I should have came home and told you I would be out all night training."

"Damn right you should have." Anko stated having lost her need to shout when he admitted that he was wrong.

"But something really cool happened last night!" Naruto shouted excitedly as a Kurenai walked into the room, dressed this time. "I was working with my clones when I passed out back of the headache I got from absorbing all of their knowledge and I 'woke up' in the seal! I kicked Kyuubi for a bit and made fun of him before I started pulling out his fur so to get me to stop and leave he gave me control of his chakra and all I had to do was modify the seal to make it not look like a sewer anymore. Now my chakra is purple and it's twice as potent!"

Anko and Kurenai were still working through the part about him kicking the Kyuubi and pulling out it's fur. Once they had worked through it they both stared at him, mouths gaping.

"You were taunting the Kyuubi?!" shouted Kurenai while at the same time Anko shouted. "You're chakra is purple?!"

"Yes and yes. He's really a big baby. I only pulled out a couple of pieces of fur and the fucking fox was almost crying!" Naruto told them before laughing loudly.

"You do realize that your going to have to work on chakra control again, right?" Kurenai asked while Naruto only nodded and smiled.

"Since I wanted to make five hundred clones but got one thousand, I had half of them go to the lake to work on water walking again."

"Lucky bastard. I want purple chakra." muttered Anko who seemed to be stuck on the one thing.

"I only came home because when I woke up I knew I'd be in trouble. I've still got training to do!" Naruto shouted before disappearing again.

"Kurenai-chan! I want purple chakra!" Anko whined like a little girl as she pouted.

"Poor thing." Kurenai teased as she patted Anko on the head and stood. "I can't make you're chakra purple but if you're a good girl I'll take a shower with you."

Anko suddenly stopped pouting and ran into the bathroom with Kurenai trailing behind her.

Shino was woken three hours before the sun had began to raise by his kaa-san. Since he had only finally gotten to sleep at one in the morning, needless to say he was tired.

When he was finally dress he found his kaa-san warming up in their garden. He stopped and watched her as she pressed on through her kenjutsu form. Shino thought is looked like beauty personified. The steps she took and the ease with which she swung her sword made her seem all the more powerful and graceful then she did when she was simply walking across the room, which was already something awe inspiring.

"My musuko, take up your sword and come stand beside me. I will begin teaching you my form." Akiko ordered gently and Shino did as he was told without one comment about how early it was.

As he worked through the first kata, Shino paused only to ask. "Does this form have a name?"

"Will giving it a name make it any more powerful?" Akiko countered. "A name is a description, not a source of power. I have yet to find the right words that can describe the way it looks and feels. If you must give it a name then do so but it will not make it any stronger or any weaker."

"I do not believe I could find the words either." Shino admitted as he began to move through the forms at a very slow pace so that his kaa-san could correct anything wrong with is stance.

"But you must never stop looking. If one day you can find the right words then that will be a glorious day. Now raise you elbow slightly." she told him before nodding once he did it.

She continued to circle him as her ever vigilant eyes seemed to catch even the slightest imperfection in his stance. This continued for many hours before she told him to stop.

"Why do you fight? Why did you become a shinobi?" she asked in her usual soothing voice.

"I wish to become a reliable head for this great clan. I wish to make you proud of me." he answered swiftly but then he kaa-san's stare seemed to pierce into his very soul he continued. "I wish to protect this village, to someday have a family of my own. I wish to see this clan viewed as the strongest."

"Do you know why your team fights?"

"Hinata-chan fights to prove herself. She longs to be seen as something other then a weakling and a mistake. Naruto fights for recognition. To be seen for who he is and not for what he holds. He wishes to see his family and friends happy above all else."

"Do you see the difference in your dreams? Tell me, which to you think it the correct path to follow?" Akiko inquired while Shino actually froze at that question.

"I-I do not know. Is it not up to a person to decide what they wish to fight for?"

"It is. So why did you become a shinobi? Why did you give one man the right to send you into a battle you may never return from? How can you have a family or become a great head for this clan if you are dead?"

"I trust the Hokage. He is a smart man and would not recklessly send his shinobi to die for something that wasn't important."

"And you trust him because he has proven himself time and time again." Akiko offered and when Shino nodded she continued. "They why do the villagers not trust Naruto?"

"I do not know. I ask myself every time we walk down the street and a villager glares at him."

"Shino, fear and hate are hard things to let go. It is understandable that they would fear Naruto for a short time but he has already proven himself in the eyes of many. Ever passing day he changes the mind of one more person. Yet he will never succeed on his own. The numbers are too great to change one by one. You are close to him, and you are his friend. You would fight beside him no matter the situation, and yet you fear him." as she said this her musuko's eyes snapped towards her.

"I do not..." he started only to be cut off.

"Do not lie to me." Akiko stated firmly. "It is in your posture, it is in your words, it is in your poorly hidden expressions."

"I do not fear Naruto in the way that you may think. I do not fear his strength or his burden. I do not fear his speed nor do I fear his sadistic tendencies."

"Then what do you have to fear of him?" Akiko pressed calmly as she walked over to a table and picked up a cup of tea that had been left for her.

"I fear his connection with Hinata." Shino answered shyly while his kaa-san smiled into her cup.

"Why?

"They are best friends. She has admitted to liking him at one point and at times they are inseparable. I know our relationship is still very new but I do not want to lose her to anyone."

"Then shouldn't you fear Hinata? Naruto himself has never said he liked Hinata, am I correct?"

"Yes." Shino admitted.

"Then why fear him? He has a girlfriend he is very close to and sees Hinata a a imouto."

"It feels wrong to not trust Hinata."

"So you shift your mistrust to someone undeserving? Does that not sound very familer? Are you not doing what everyone in this village is doing?" Akiko asked and Shino flinched as if he had been slapped. "Or course this is to a much smaller degree but it is still the same. Would you like my advice?"

"More then anything."

"Let you mistrust go. Naruto would never hurt someone he thinks of as a friend. Hinata is a kind and gentle girl who would sooner take her own life then hurt someone she loves. Your mistrust is understandable because of your age but do not let your worry and jealousy make you do something foolish." Akiko told him before she finished her cup and walked back over to him. "Now begin again."

As Shino was beginning his second round of training, Hinata was finishing up her training with her tou-san and itoko before her training with Tsunade was set to start. Hinata found Tenten along the way to the 'unused training ground' that Tsunade had commandeered from a group of 'squatters'. Of course they were shinobi in their own training ground but Tsunade was far to pushy to let that stop her.

When the two arrived they found Tsunade already waiting for them while Shizune leaned against a tree and slept.

"Good, your on time." she said with a smile. "Now before we go on I want you to use what you learned yesterday and try it against this boulder."

Tenten seemed all to happy to run up and punch the rock. As odd as it sounds. What she learned was a very valuable lesson indeed. Rocks hurt like bitch if you punch them. As her fist connected with the boulder Tenten let loose a series of curses that would have made even Anko blush. Once Tsunade took her hand and healed the shattered bones she turned and smiled at Hinata. "What did she do wrong?"

Hinata, who had been trying hard not to laugh at the poor girl finally gave in and allowed herself to smile brightly while Tenten continued to curse at the rock. "She was overly excited and didn't actually focus any chakra into he fist."

Tenten glared at her while Tsunade smirked. "Correct. Tenten, I'm happy to see that you're excited but in the beginning this technique is very slow to work and as you use it you will get faster. Although you do get bonus points for using some words that I didn't even know."

By now Tenten was blushing and Hinata was giggling into her hand.

"Hinata, why don't you try?"

Hinata walked up to the boulder and began to pack as much chakra into her fist as she could. As she swung her fist she also learned a valuable lesson. Rocks hurt like a bitch no matter what you do before you punch them. As her fist connect with the stone she found that she was to late in releasing the chakra and as her fist shattered much like Tenten's had, the chakra dissipated leaving the innocent looking, pearl eyed Hyuuga to let loose her own string of swear words.

"As you can see, Tenten. Timing is also very important. It doesn't matter if you collect chakra or not if you don't release it on time." Tsunade commented as Shizune opened her eyes to find Hinata cursing up a storm while Tenten laughed and her mistress was trying to heal the girls hand.

"Would you like to try again?" Tsunade asked the two brightly only for them to glare at her.

The rest of the month passed much the same was. They woke up early and fell asleep late. They worked like a dog only for the smallest amount of success. They pushed themselves to the point of collapsing only to get up a few moments later and do it all again. Some were focusing on catching someone while others just wanted to get stronger. Still others were just used to working themselves harder and harder each time. Now that the real third exam was upon them, Shino, Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten were all feeling excited and ready to show off their new skills.

Naruto, Anko, and Kurenai arrived outside of the stadium to find Hinata, Shino, and Tenten waiting for them. None of them had changed much other then Naruto now wore more, slightly modified, kunai around his thighs, Hinata and Tenten now wore fingerless gloves, and Shino now had a katana strapped to his back. Each looked the others over and made note of the only changes in their appearance.

Then without warning Hinata jumped on Shino and Tenten jumped on Naruto. Anko and Kurenai laughed at the shocked looks on the two boys faces as their girlfriends forced their lips to their own.

"I missed you." Hinata and Tenten whispered at the same time to their respective partners.

"I missed you as well." Shino whispered while Naruto simply chose to kiss Tenten again.

"We'll meet you in the stands." Anko told them as she drug Kurenai into the stadium so that she could scare someone into giving them their seats.

"Shall we?" Naruto asked once he pulled away from Tenten.

"You might as well go back home Naruto. You will not be getting past me." Shino stated while Naruto only smirked and lead them into the stadium.

As all the winners from the preliminaries stood in front of a man with a senbon needle hanging out of his mouth, Naruto noticed that Sasuke wasn't there yet.

"My name is Shiranui Genma. Hayate has fallen ill so I'll be taking over for him." the man said while Naruto was wondering when Hayate wasn't ill. "These matches last until I tell you to stop. If you ignore me I will disqualify you on the spot and you will not have a chance at becoming Chuunin. These are very important people you are fighting in front of so give them a good show. You already know when and who you're fighting so be ready. Now would Hinata Hyuuga and Kinuta Dosu please stay while the rest move up to the contestants box."

While they all moved, the Third was shocked to find two of his students already sitting in his booth. "I must be dieing. Why else would you two be here." he teased as he sat down with a sigh.

"You are getting old but we're here for a different reason." Jiraiya told him while Tsunade continued.

"We each took some cute little Genin under our wing for the month they had to train. Or at least I did. Jiraiya had his read a scroll before leaving."

"Who did you teach?" Jiraiya asked while the Hokage was wondering the same thing but Tsunade only smirk and said.

"You'll see."

"I see we have guests." said a voice from behind them. None of them turned in time to see him glaring at the two extra shinobi.

"My old team as come to see me. How are you Kazekage-dono?"

"I am good. How about you? Your old bones must he aching from the walk here." joked the Kazekage as he sat down beside the Hokage.

"Don't place me in the grave just yet." laughed the Hokage.

Down on the arena floor Hinata and Dosu were looking each other over. Hinata remembered seeing him in the second exam and thinking that he looked like a mummy. It was true. Dosu was wrapped in wrappings from head to toe. Only one eye was visible and he had an odd looking instrument on his arm. She knew from his fight during the prelims that he used it to create sound waves.

"First Match: Hyuuga Hinata vs. Kinuta Dosu. Hajime!" Genma shouted while the spectators cheered loudly.

Dosu has seen her fight and knew that he had to catch her soon or his chances were lost. He figured he would simply overpower her before using sound waves to mess up her vision and balance.

Hinata saw him rushing towards her and dropped into her Gentle First stance, and just as Dosu was about to reach her, she slammed her palm into Dosu's chest.

Everyone watched in awe as Dosu was thrown like a rag doll into the stadium wall with such power that many sitting behind the wall left the impact.

"Holy shit!" shouted Naruto before the entire stadium began cheering while Genma called the fight and medics were called in to check on Dosu.

Up in the Hokage's booth the Third and Jiraiya turned and stared at Tsunade in disbelief.

"That's one." she said simply as she smirked at the two.


	8. Chapter 8

Please read the notice at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 8.

As the medics ran out onto the field, Hinata began to blush as the entire stadium continued to cheer except a few people. The people in the Hokage's booth just stared in disbelief at a smirking blonde haired woman while the Hyuugas that were in the stadium just stared at the blushing young shinobi, in awe at her new found strength.

When Hinata finally made it back up to the competitors box her face was almost maroon she was blushing so badly. It didn't help matters any when she walked in to find everyone that had made it to the arena on time staring at her.

"Is that what Jiggly-baa-chan taught you?!" shouted Naruto before he dodged Tenten's punch out of fear of her own new found strength. If Hinata had gained this much he knew for sure that Tenten had as well.

"W-Well, s-she also taught me s-some medical j-jutsus." stuttered Hinata, who really wished everyone would stop staring at her. She knew that if any more blood gathered in her face she would pass out.

"Luckily for Dosu, Hinata-chan and I haven't mastered the technique yet. We're still nowhere near as strong as Tsunade-sama nor are we as quick." Tenten whispered to Naruto and Shino so that the rest of the competitors were left to wonder as to how strong the rest of Team 8 had gotten if Hinata had increased this much.

Then came an announcement that caused many of the competitors to become angry.

"It has been decided that instead of disqualifying Uchiha Sasuke, we are going to postpone the next match for thirty minutes so that we can find them." Genma shouted while most of the spectators didn't really seem to mind. They were still trying to calm down from Hinata's show of power. It hadn't been a long match by any means but the showing of power left them trembling with excitement.

"Lee, you had better kick that bastards ass when he shows up." Naruto growled while Lee smiled brightly and gave him a 'nice guy' pose.

"That will not be a problem my youthful friend! I have trained hard for this match and I shall not lose! I must show everyone the powers of youth!" shouted the spandex wearing boy.

"... Yeah." Naruto replied before turning back to his team and Tenten who were now talking to Kurenai and Anko.

"It was amazing how quickly she picked it up. Tsunade-sama said that her chakra control was nearly on par with her own because of all of the training she has been doing with the Gentle Fist as well as any you've been having her do. I'm equal to her in the technique simply because I worked on it nonstop." Tenten told them while Hinata tried to hide behind Shino's coat.

"So how much do you still have to do before you master it?" Anko asked excitedly. She and Kurenai had been sitting by the Hyuugas when Hinata fought and her performance caused most of them to say some very un-Hyuuga things.

"Quit a bit." Hinata admitted while Tenten's shoulders drooped a little until Naruto made his presence known and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Tsunade-sama said that we won't have mastered it until it becomes second nature. She can do it in under a second, it's amazing."

"She told use that the quicker you gather the chakra and the more you gather means more strength. It's like stuffing Guy-sensei and Lee full of energy pills and letting them loose." Tenten explained while many of the room paled and looked over at Lee who seemed to be practicing victory poses in a mirror. Where the mirror came from they had no idea.

"She just had to teach you that. It wasn't enough that your punches hurt before this." whined Naruto while Kurenai and Anko couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune.

"But it will help keep me safe on missions. You _do _want me to be safe don't you Naruto-kun?" Tenten asked as she looked at him with her best puppy dog eyes.

Everyone knew that Naruto would give Tenten anything she wanted if she asked normally so when she did this they knew he would give in.

"Of course I do. Now wait right here and I'll go buy you some cinnamon rolls." Naruto told her before running out of the booth and into the crowd of people while Tenten smirked at the rest of the group.

"Around my little finger."

"That's not fair!" shouted Anko. "I am supposed to be the only one who can control him like that!"

Kurenai sighed at her girlfriends behavior. "Anko-chan, it's only normal for this to happen. It's only a matter of time before Shino is doing everything Hinata-chan says."

As soon as she said this Shino looked at the girl hugging his arm and when she smiled up at him he knew it was true. He knew already that he would do whatever she told him.

"So what kind of training did you do Shino-kun?" Hinata asked softly.

"My kaa-san taught me her kenjutsu style." Shino answered while Anko and Kurenai looked shocked.

"That's it?" Tenten inquired only to have the two older shinobi look at her as if she were crazy.

"Tenten-chan, Shino's kaa-san is said to be the greatest kenjutsu user in the village, hell even Fire Country! Her taijutsu is even to the point where she is just under your sensei! The most unbelievable thing about it all is that she isn't even a shinobi!" Kurenai told the girl only to have Hinata and Tenten stare at Shino in shock.

"That is correct." he stated as he slid his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Before anything else could be said Naruto ran back into the room causing everyone to stop and stare at him ins disbelief. He had come back with cinnamon rolls of course but he had so many that it would keep Tenten fed for over a week.

Tenten stared at the amount before turning to the rest of the room. "Um... You can all have some if you want."

No one moved to get one until a small platform made of sand approached Naruto only to move back to the red haired Genin from Sunagakure once he had placed one on top of it.

"G-Gaara, it's probably poisoned!" shouted his blonde haired teammate who had forfeited against him in the prelims.

"Kaa-san said no one would dare poison the deliciousness that is a cinnamon roll." the boy stated before taking a bite.

Once everyone saw that the psychotic looking boy was ok, most of the room came and got one.

"Hey brat! Come away from the hot lesbians and come talk to me!" shouted Jiraiya from the doorway.

Before Anko and Kurenai could do anything though, Naruto was already at him with his foot buried in the man's groin. As Naruto drug the man out of the booth Anko looked about ready to cry.

"He's such a good boy!" she said happily as she hugged Kurenai who just rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around her purple haired lover.

"You know you got off easy, Ero-hime! Anko-nee-chan and Kurenai-sensei would have killed you!" Naruto stated firmly while Jiraiya wondered if death wouldn't have been better.

After a few minutes Jiraiya was back on his feet as if nothing had happened while silently thanking kami for Tsunade teaching him some medical jutsus. "Ok brat. Old flat-chest Tsunade has... well shit. I forgot I was there when she took those two girls to teach. I was still a little off from seeing your nee... well never mind. Since you know the two, you know that the crowd loved that Hyuuga's fight. You are fighting one of Sunagakure's strongest shinobis so I was wondering how far you've come with it."

"Pretty far. I can do it and but I waste a lot of chakra. Luckily for me my chakra is different now." Naruto replied with a smile while Jiraiya wondered what he meant by that.

He was about to ask when a team of Jounins appeared along with Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Well put on a good show." Jiraiya told him before turning and walking back to the Hokage's booth while Naruto ran back to where he was supposed to be.

Just as he was arriving Lee was leaving.

"Lee, good luck!" Naruto shouted after him while Lee simply turned and smiled at him before continuing his walk down to the arena floor.

As Naruto entered the room we was a little saddened to find that Anko and Kurenai had already left to go back to their seats.

"They said 'tell my little bastard of a touto good luck and also tell him that if he loses that he might as well not come home'." Tenten told him causing a bright smile to appear while the rest that heard it and didn't know Anko wondered why he was smiling.

"Second Match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Rock Lee. Hajime!" Genma shouted before moving out of the fighters way.

As if Lee was looking in a mirror, Sasuke copied him even as he moved into his Strong Fist stance.

With that the man with very large eyebrows who normally smiled all the time was actually frowning.

"That is most unyouthful, Kakashi. Having your pupil watch our training and copy our taijutsu style after you helped him gain his Sharingan, that is very unyouthful indeed." Guy said as he shook his head softly.

Kakashi looked around and noticed that many of the Jounins around them were also looking disappointed in him. Even as he shrugged and pulled out a familiar orange book, he couldn't help but wonder if he had done the right thing.

Suddenly Lee got out of his stance and smiled. "Sasuke, before we have our youthful fight we must hug!"

Sasuke watched in horror as the boy spread his arms and walked towards him.

"Don't you dare!" Sasuke shouted as the boy got even closer.

"I'm going to hug you!" Lee sang as he got right in front of him and wrapped his arms around the struggling Uchiha.

"Let go of me you freak!"

Lee suddenly started laughing. "Now I have tricked you! You may have copied my style but I have the powers of youth on my side!"

As if Sasuke weighed nothing at all, Lee lifted him and bent backwards, slamming Sasuke into the ground.

Lee stood back up and gave his sensei an all to familiar pose while Tenten sighed and muttered about 'green freaks' and 'turning your back on an opponent'.

When Lee finally turned back to Sasuke he was met with a strong backhand that knocked him back a few feet.

For a split second Lee lost his smile. It was clear to his team and Team 8 that he was a lot angrier at the Uchiha then he was showing. Naruto didn't blame him at all. Lee worked harder them any of them to compensate for his lack of chakra and along comes a 'genius' who copies his style perfectly simply by watching him practice.

"I will now show you that your eyes can't copy youthfulness!" Lee shouted before he became nothing but a blur until he jumped into the air while spinning both legs in succession. "Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

As Lee spun closer Sasuke ducked under his leg only to be met with a kick to the head by the second. The crowd cheered as Sasuke was violently flung to the side by the blow. They all loved the Uchiha but a great fight was a great fight and that was exactly what this was shaping up to be.

Sasuke slowly got to his feet and wiped the blood that was running down his chin. He was beyond angry that Lee was going to force him to use his Sharingan so quickly. As Sasuke stood and closed his eyes the crowd started screaming when he opened them again to reveal the fabled Sharingan.

"I am honored to see them so quickly!" Lee shouted while Naruto and Tenten thought he almost sounded sarcastic. "But they will not be enough!"

As Lee charged forwards and tried to sweep Sasuke's feet out from under him he wasn't to surprised to have Sasuke jump effortlessly over his leg.

The crowd kept cheering as their precious Uchiha continued to dodge every attack Lee could throw at him. Yet at the same time he was becoming more and more frustrated because he wanted to attack himself but Lee never gave him a chance.

Finally just as Lee was punching, Sasuke moved under his arm and punched him as hard as he could in the jaw. This seemed to be enough to give Sasuke some room to attack himself. Oddly the boy chose to run backwards and cling to the arena wall. Lee and everyone else watched as he quickly ran through a set of and seals and as he grabbed his left wrist as he began gathering chakra.

"LEE! YOU MUST QUICKLY REMOVE YOUR WEIGHTS! SHOW HIM YOUR TRUE POWER!" shouted Guy once he realized what jutsu the Uchiha was using. "I can not believe you taught him such a move for a Chuunin Exam."

While Sasuke was gathering chakra, Lee sat down and began removing his orange leg warmers to reveal two sets of weights. Many wondered how much difference they could possibly make, while Naruto noticed that Tenten was smirking slightly.

"Just watch." she said simply.

When Lee stood up and dropped the weights to the ground, the jaws of many followed. As the weights connected with the ground two very large craters formed underneath them.

"Chidori!" shouted Sasuke and suddenly everything went quiet. Gradually the sound of one thousands of birds chirping began filling the stadium.

Before anyone could blink, Sasuke jumped from the wall and charged at the still smiling form of Lee. Only just as he began to thrust his fist through Lee's heart, Lee vanished.

While Guy was cheering loudly from the stunned stands, Lee appeared on the opposite side and shouted. "Initial Gate! Kai!"

After a split second, Sasuke was being launched backwards the tremendous force that was Rock Lee. As the chirping faded, everyone saw that the blow had forced Sasuke to lose his ninjutsu.

"Heal Gate! Kai!" Lee shouted while Tenten began looking more worried then excited. "Life Gate! Kai!"

By now even Guy had lost his smile and was watching his student intently as Lee's skin began to turn red while all around him the ground began to crack under the pressure of his chakra.

"Wound Gate! Kai!" Lee roared as the veins in his neck and face began to bulge. "Limit Gate! Kai!"

For a second nothing happened. For a second no one breathed. For a second no one even blinked. Then all hell broke loose on the arena floor as Lee's chakra flooded the area around him.

**"Ura Renge!" **cried Lee before he completely disappeared from view only to be seen kicking Sasuke into the air seconds later. No one saw him moving but the very ground he ran on crumbled under the pressure of his steps. That alone was something that left even Naruto humbled.

As Sasuke was launched into the air Lee disappeared again. While Sasuke was pummeled by an invisible force, the crowd watched in awe. Suddenly Sasuke was wrapped in bandages and pulled towards a now visible Rock Lee. When he was in range Lee smashed his fist into Sasuke with all the strength he had left in his body sending the Uchiha hurling towards the ground.

When the smoke cleared everyone saw a beaten and blooded Sasuke lying there while Lee turned back to normal and fell to his knees.

"Uchiha Sasuke is unable to continue! Rock Lee wins!" Genma shouted happily and as the crowd suddenly roared with cheers, Lee, from his knees, gave them a very shaky 'nice guy' pose before falling forward.

As the crowd continued to cheer, many of the shinobi stared in shock. Even Kakashi's favorite book laid forgot on the ground as he stared at between Lee and Sasuke before looking at Guy, who was smiling so bright many were forced to look away.

"Y-You taught him..." stuttered Kakashi.

"How to open the 'Eight Gates'? Yes I did. Lee needed something of a trump card for when taijutsu simply wasn't enough." reasoned Guy while Kakashi continued to stare with one disbelieving eye.

"And that boys and girls is why you don't steal." stated Naruto once he finally shook himself out of his staring.

"Naruto-kun, shut up." Hinata stated once she heard his joke while he simply smiled at her.

"Hey, at least we don't have to try and follow that!" Tenten shout causing Naruto to pout. _She _didn't have to but _he _did. He just hoped the crazy looking Sunagakure shinobi was strong enough to put up a good fight.

"That was defiantly impressive." the Hokage said after they all picked their jaws up off the floor.

"I can't believe Guy taught his student that." Tsunade growled while Jiraiya hoped that Naruto didn't get hurt while trying the move he let him learn or else he was dead.

As Naruto and Gaara stood before Genma, the blond cut off what ever Genma was going to say.

"Before this starts I'd like to dedicate this fight to Ero-hime and Jiggly-baa-chan!" Naruto shouted while many were wondering who he was talking about. They found out when Jiraiya and Tsunade were having to be held back by the Hokage from going down and killing the blond. Once they found out who they were most laughed while others look horrified that he would call their greatest shinobi such names. "Ero-hime because he let me read a scroll and Jiggly-baa-chan just because I wanted everyone to know my name for her!"

"Naruto-kun! How dare you?!" shouted Tenten as Hinata and Shino tried to hold her back.

Naruto saw how angry his girlfriend was and paled. "S-Sorry Tenten-chan!"

"Can we please continue before you piss off someone else?" Genma asked and when a pale Naruto looked away from Tenten and nodded, he continued. "Third Match: Mitarashi Naruto vs. Sabaku no Gaara. Hajime!"

Naruto and Gaara stared at each other for a few moments before Gaara spoke. "I will kill you."

"Why would you want to kill me? I gave you a cinnamon roll!" shouted Naruto while many in the stands sweat dropped.

"I will make it rain with your blood." Gaara stated while ignoring the fact the Naruto had indeed given him a cinnamon roll.

"Fine then!" Naruto shouted before making a familiar cross shape with his fingers. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The crowd watched as nine clones appeared and as soon as the smoke was gone the real Naruto pulled out one of the kunai and tossed it into the air. "Kunai Kage no Jutsu!"

As the kunai split into nine different kunai everyone but three people were wondering what good they would do if he had thrown them into the air.

"That clever little brat." muttered Jiraiya only for the everyone around him to start watching more intently.

Everyone watched as the clones jumped into the air and caught a kunai each before turning and throwing them into the wall surrounding the two fighters. Just as they threw them a giant ball of sand surrounded the clones and crushed them. Gaara looked very disappointed when every single one disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto smirked as he moved away from the angry sand user before shocking everyone with three little words. "Hiraishin no Jutsu(Flying Thunder God Technique)!"

The crowd stared stunned as the only thing they could see was a yellow and purple streak cut the shinobi from Sunagakure to shreds.

Temari, Kankuro, and the Kazekage watched in awe and horror as the blonde boy reduced their strongest fighter to a bleeding heap in a matter of seconds.

As Naruto stopped a faint purple hue continued to surround him making it look as if smoke was seeping from every pour of his body. Gaara could do nothing more then stare back at him in disbelief as he pulled up a platform of bloodied sand to lean on.

Everyone stared at Naruto in utter amazement before Tsunade, the Hokage, and the Kazekage turned to find a smirking Jiraiya looking back at them.

"That would be what I taught him." he said smugly even though he had only let Naruto read the scroll. "He hasn't mastered it because that purple you saw was, strangely enough, his chakra. I've got a few theories on why it is purple but nothing that has been confirmed yet."

"Go Naru-chan!" shouted Anko while everyone else remained silent.

"W-What are you?" asked Gaara as blood continued to pore from the thousands of cuts the blond had given him.

"I am Mitarashi Naruto. If you are what I think you are then I'd be correct in saying that I'm the same as you." Naruto told him. "Now will you give us so I don't have to kill you?"

"Give up? GIVE UP?" shouted Gaara before he started smirking in a way that even Anko had to admire. "I'm starting to have fun!"

Most everyone was shocked for many reasons at this point. One would be that Naruto had used _the _move of their villages greatest Hokage that had made him so famous. Second was that he showed mercy to the Suna nin instead of killing him like he was prone to doing. Third was that the shinobi from Sunagakure was still standing and fourth was that he was still standing while asking for more.

The crowd watched from the edge of their seats as Gaara tried to capture Naruto with his sand while Naruto simply used the 'Flying Thunder God Technique' to get out of the way. This proved to everyone that it hadn't been a fluke. The odd thing was that even as Naruto continued to dodge, Gaara laughed louder and louder and as it grew it started becoming more maniacal.

Finally Gaara stopped everything and frowned. After calling his sand back to him, Gaara covered himself in a ball of sand while an eye appeared just outside of it and trained itself on Naruto.

Naruto took this break and dropped to his knees. He had been forced to nearly empty his reserves as he continued to us the jutsus. After a few minutes rest Naruto bit his thumb and blurred though a set of hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The spectators gasped and many jumped back as a giant snake appeared in a large cloud of smoke.

"Crush that ball!" shouted Naruto only to have the snake quickly wrap itself around the ball and contract. Suddenly the snake hissed loudly and let go of the ball. Naruto cringed when he saw it covered in spikes. "I didn't know. I'm very sorry. You may leave and heal yourself."

The snake gave a shaky nod before leaving. Unlike most summons, the snakes, the frogs, and the slugs could all take a lot of damage before they were forced to leave and once given an order, most won't leave no matter what happens to them.

"You bastard! I liked that snake!" Naruto shouted before he threw as many of his normal kunai as he could before placing something in his mouth. As Naruto flicked his neck backwards many of the shinobi noticed that he had connected wire to the kunai. Wire that was now wrapped around the ball of sand. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu(Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)!"

After Naruto said this multiple streams of fire ran along the wire before engulfing the ball of sand. As the fire burned many were surprised by the heat of the flames as the sand began to slowly melt away.

Naruto then quickly created another clone and as it ran to the ball while holding a single hand seal it shouted. "Bunshin Daibakuha!"

As the clone exploded and blew away the front half of the shell, Naruto and many were shocked to find a distorted form or Gaara standing before then smirking.

**"I **w**ILL** ki**LL** **YO**u!" shouted Gaara as his voice changed between his usual and one that sounded more demonic.

Naruto stared at the deformed arm and left side of Gaara's face and thought they reminded him of something. Then he suddenly remembered all the reading he had done on the Great Tailed Beasts after he had found out about Kyuubi. The face and arm were those of Ichibi no Shukaku(One-Tailed Shukaku).

"Gaara! Do you want to win so badly?!" Naruto shouted when suddenly a very large explosion rocked the very earth they were standing on.

"I do **NOT **care **AB**out **WINN**ing! I mer**ELY** want to ki**LL **eve**RYO**ne her**E**!" shouted Gaara before feathers started falling from the sky.

"Kai!" shouted Naruto once he recognized it as a genjutsu. It was easy to spot when your sensei is a genjutsu mistress. As soon as this was over a section of the stadium gave way to a sea of Suna and Oto nins. He then noticed Gaara was leaving the arena.

"I wasn't done fighting yet!" whined Naruto only to have Anko, Kurenai, Shino, and Tenten appear next to him.

"You still have fighting left to do, Naruto. Only this fight is of much greater importance." Shino told him as he unsheathed his katana and held in firmly in front of him while Tenten just cracked her knuckles.

"Naruto, go after Gaara and get back here as quickly as you can." ordered Kurenai while Naruto only nodded before disappearing in a yellow and purple blur.

"That brat put a seal on Gaara during his first attack." Anko said proudly while Hinata suddenly appeared holding eight of the kunai Naruto had used to perform the Fourth's technique.

"We might need these. If we separate and place them around us Naruto-kun will be able to cover a larger area. I can't seem to find the last one..." Hinata offered while Anko and Kurenai could have kissed the young Hyuuga.

Hinata realized that Kurenai and Anko would probably fight together so she handed them one each before handing Tenten and Shino two and keeping two for herself. After this was done they stayed together just long enough to whisper a quick 'be careful' before they all split up.

As Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were running a sudden blur smashed into the back of Gaara's head knocking him to the ground. Temari and her touto paled once they saw Naruto standing there frowning at them all.

"You try and attack this village and then run?!" he shouted only to have the blonde with the battle fan step forward.

"W-We aren't trying t-to run! We're trying to get G-Gaara out of there! You know what would happen it he changed!"

"I can not trust you." Naruto said softly before flashing over to Gaara and shouting. "Gogyou Fuuin(Five Elements Seal)!"

_Flashback:_

Naruto was walking around the village a few days after his meeting with Kyuubi while reciting what he knew about the 'Flying Thunder God Technique' when he passed the hot springs and heard an all to familiar perverted giggle.

"Atsu Sai Hebi no Jutsu(Crushing Snake Technique)!" Naruto shouted before a very large snake appeared and wrapped itself around the Toad Sennin. As they both rolled out of the bush, Jiraiya looked very relieved that it was Naruto and not his nee-chan but as he tried to get out of the snakes hold he found he couldn't move. "That is another jutsu of my own design."

"Is this it?" Jiraiya asked who was clearly not impressed. Only as he attempted to use a jutsu and found the fangs of the the snake sinking into his shoulder was he impressed.

"Of course that wasn't it. That snake happens to feed off of chakra so if you try and use a jutsu it eats it and gets stronger. The only way to beat it is with shear power and you and I both know that there isn't a human alive that can over power a snake that size once it starts absorbing chakra. You might have gotten it off if you hadn't tried to use that jutsu right then and just tried to force it. I made this jutsu after my fight with Jiggly-baa-chan."

Jiraiya tried with all of his strength to get out but he found that Naruto was right. If he had tried this first it might have worked. "What do you want?"

"I want you to teach me a way to block off Kyuubi's chakra encase it takes over again." Naruto said as he suddenly turned very serious. He didn't like the feel of losing control even if it did help against Orochimaru.

"Why should I?" Jiraiya inquired while already making plans to teach him.

"I'll simply leave you here and go get my nee-chan, Jiggly-baa-chan, and sensei." Naruto threatened with a smirk while Jiraiya suddenly became very pale.

"I-I'll teach you a way." he promised and as the snake disappeared he quickly got to his feet.

"So?"

"Here." Jiraiya said simply as he tossed Naruto a small scroll.

"Lazy Ero-hime." muttered Naruto as he took the scroll and walked off leaving a smirking Jiraiya behind.

When Naruto was back in his training ground he opened the scroll and read. "Gogyou Fuuin and Gogyou Kaiin(Five Elements Unseal). These should work."

_End Flashback:_

As Naruto's finger tips began to glow, he slammed them into Gaara's stomach. A shocked look was all Gaara could give him before the arm dissolved into sand and he fell unconscious.

"Take him and go. If I see any of you in this battle again, I'll will kill you." Naruto vowed before he felt one of his kunai getting placed in the ground and disappeared.

It was only mere seconds after Shino had stabbed the modified kunai into the ground that Naruto appeared beside him. "We are placing these all around Konohagakure so that you will have a greater range. Do not strain yourself, we will need you."

Naruto nodded and suddenly felt another of his kunai being placed into the ground. "Someone's just placed another one. Shino, you had better make it out of this. Hurting Hinata-chan is something I will not stand for. If you need my help simply re-stab the kunai into the ground and I'll be here at once."

With that the blond shinobi disappeared, a trail of yellow and purple was all anyone could see as he raced across Konohagakure. Any enemy shinobi he happened to pass along the way was bleeding to death on the ground before they had even felt the kunai slid across their neck.

As soon as Naruto left his side, Shino turned back to a small group of Oto shinobi and dropped into his kenjutsu stance. He knew that at his current level of ninjutsu and taijutsu that he wouldn't last for very long against their numbers if he didn't use his katana.

"A Genin?! They have Genin fighting!" shouted one of the Oto nins before Shino shot forward and like a hot knife through wax, his gleaming sword separated the man's head from his shoulders. The man had been a Chuunin, a single rank higher then his own and yet he had believed that because of that he would over come the Aburame. He had been foolish.

"A Genin is all we will need if the rest of your force is so arrogant." Shino stated confidently as he suddenly dove at the men while began to spin. The spiraling shinobi cut through the group with an easy that shocked many who had looked away from their own battles to watch.

Ignoring the blood dripping from his blade, Shino walked calmly towards the next group. As he arrived a sudden and familiar sound caused him to duck quickly. He watched as a woman appeared out of nowhere and ended the lives of the men in a series of silver blurs.

"Kaa-san." Shino said in shock as his kaa-san wiped the blood off of her blade.

"My musuko, do not allow the blood of the unworthy stain your blade." she stated only to have Shino quickly wiped the blood from his blade with the end of his coat.

While his kanai and musuko were beginning their dance of death amidst their enemies, Shibi stopped and took off the gourd that he kept on the back. Many shinobi from Konohagakure watched whenever they were able as that gourd had been one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the man.

As he reached in and began to pull, many watched as a long stream of insect followed his hand as he removed it. But as the incests swarmed into the sleeve of his coat they left behind an eerie looking, green bladed sword that he held tightly in his hand.

"I have not used this in a long time." Shibi whispered to himself before he jumped back into the battle. As he began slicing through his enemies, his insects swarmed around him like a thick fog, making it impossible for the enemy shinobi to tell where the strikes would be coming from.

As Hinata slammed her kunai deep into the ground, she felt relieved when Naruto appeared with his usual sadistic smirk. "I just saw your boyfriend. He told me what's going on and I can only image that this is your plan."

"Yes." Hinata stated while feeling grateful that Naruto had told her that Shino was still alright. She didn't look it but she was very close to breaking down. She had never been in a battle like this and seeing the lives of people, be it an allies or a foes, being taken was not resting well with the young Hyuuga.

After being friends for so long her true feelings were instantly known to the demon vessel. With a gentleness that would have surprised most, Naruto stepped forward and placed a hand on her cheek.

"I know this is hard and you've never had to take a life before, but so many people need you to be strong. This village needs you, Hinata-chan. Your the heart of our team. I told Shino that if he hurt you that I would kill him but I will be equally unhappy if you are harmed because you couldn't bring yourself to harm another. Shino needs you to make it through this, I need you to make it through this, and Tenten will be pissed if she is the only female in our group." he whispered softly before a sudden feeling overcame him. "Another kunai has been place, Hinata-chan. If you need me you know what to do."

Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished leaving Hinata with a will to survive like no one had ever seen before within the gentle Hyuuga.

"A Hyuuga? We could get good money from Kumogakure if we got her eyes." a Oto nin said while he and his comrades smirked. They had seen the blond standing next to her and honestly felt reluctant to attack, but now he was gone and they believed the Hyuuga girl wouldn't put up much of a fight.

However, what they hadn't factored in was that just like Neji, Hinata had a deep seeded hatred and fear for Kumogakure no Sato and her shinobi. It had been because of them that Hinata had been kidnapped and her tou-san had to kill the kidnapper, leaving Neji's tou-san to take the blame with his own life. They had broken the trust Neji had for the Main House and had cost her, her itoko. At that point all she could hear was 'Kumo' echoing through her mind as long since buried memories resurfaced.

"They cost me my family!" roared Hinata.

Hinata's Byakugan flashed into existence before she hauled back and punched the ground with all of her strength. As the ground cracked, many stopped to watch as two slabs of earth buckled under her power and smashed the group of shinobi between them. As they separated again many winced and looked away while Hinata's hard eyes turned towards the next group.

She didn't know it but her itoko had been standing nearby and had heard her words. He was going to have to live just so that he could think about many things once this battle was over. His entire life needed to be reevaluated it would seem.

When Naruto arrived beside his kunai he found Tenten already fighting off groups of shinobi with her monster like strength. It looked strange because her abilities with the technique were still developing so there was a slight pause before each kick or punch. Still the enemy shinobi never seemed to catch on because if they had only came at her at once the weapons loving Genin would have been a lot easier to deal with. Naruto assumed that the monstrous strength also had an intimidation factor to it that kept them at bay. Once the area was clear she turned to find Naruto standing by the kunai.

"Naruto-kun!" she shouted before she ran to the blond and jumped into his arms. Without a seconds hesitation the two began kissing as if they hadn't seen each other in years. "You had better come back to me or I will piss on your grave every day!"

"That's very lady-like, Tenten-chan." Naruto said dryly while Tenten just smiled. "I love you."

Tenten watched him suddenly disappear before turning towards the new group of advancing shinobi with a smirk playing on her lips. "I'll have to make this one short. I have a boyfriend I need to make out with!"

Tenten held both arms together and quickly surrounded them with chakra. Thanks to Tsunade's training in chakra control, she was even getting better at her taijutsu style. Tenten briefly wondered if it was even really a form of taijutsu since she was always using weapons. Yes her body molded to form those weapons but they were weapons just the same. Before long her arms were in the form of a very large, very top heavy mallet. It seemed a little awkward at first but Tenten heaved the giant hammer onto her shoulder and began packing chakra into the end of it.

As soon as the enemy shinobi were close enough, Tenten nudged the mallet off her shoulder and used the momentum to swing the incredibly heavy weapon around in a full circle. When it was over her head, Tenten shouted in exertion as she slammed the hammer into the ground with a much force as she could manage, releasing the power at the exact moment the metal face connected with the ground.

Under the tremendous power of the blow, the entire area under her feet and those of her enemies began to break apart. Tenten watched with a grim satisfaction as the ground sallowed her opponents whole before to large hunks of earth began grinding them together. She didn't know it at the time but the shock wave the blow had produced was felt for over one hundred meters in all directions.

Naruto wasn't all to surprised to arrive at the next kunai to find Anko and Kurenai fighting together. While Kurenai stood back and formed genjutsus, Anko dashed in and out of the 'blind' shinobi, slitting their throats as she went. Watching the two was truly awe inspiring. They seemed to fight together so perfectly that Kurenai was able to duck as Anko launched a large number of shuriken over her head without saying a word.

Once the group was dead or very close to bleeding to death, Anko returned to Kurenai's side and smashed her lips against the beautiful brunette's. Just as her was reaching for her lover's breast, Naruto made his presence known. "I don't want to see that!"

For once Anko decided not to tease or embarrass her touto. After releasing a still slightly dazed Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko turned to Naruto and smiled. "I don't think I need to remind you of what will happen if you are hurt, do I?"

"Come on, I was trained by the best. These losers couldn't touch me!" Naruto laughed while Anko and Kurenai seemed very happy about his answer. Of course they had been the ones who trained him so that might have been some of it. Suddenly the blond's face lost all traces of humor as he looked at the two older woman and smiled slightly. "The two of you had better make it through this. I... I don't know what I'd do without the two of you."

"We'll be fine, Naru-chan." promised Kurenai. "Anko-chan is far to stubborn to die and you know if she is still breathing that none of our enemies will be able to touch me."

"I love you two." Naruto told them with a faint bit of pink appearing in his cheeks before he disappeared.

"H-He's never said that to me before." whispered Kurenai as her eyes slowly began to tear up.

Rather then allow Kurenai her touching moment, Anko bite her finger and began a long sting of hand seals. As she slammed her hand in to the ground a large amount of glyphs spiraled outward, she then shouted. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Kurenai let out a surprised shriek while Anko laughed happily as they two began rising into the air at an amazing pace. When the smoke cleared they were able to view the entire battle and many enemies were struggling to escape the giant snakes range; they wouldn't make it.

"So, Anko, you've finally decided to summon me." mused the baleful Manda as he surveyed the area around him. "And in a battle too! I suppose you wish for me to keep the shinobi from Konohagakure alive?"

"If you don't mind! Could you try and keep the damage to the buildings at a minimum as well?"

"I suppose." sighed the anaconda before it began slithering across across the battlefield, smashing any enemy stupid enough to stand in his way.

Kurenai could only stare down at the massive snake in awe.

While everyone was moving into their positions, the Kazekage quickly grabbed the Hokage and pressed a kunai against his throat before jumping onto the roof, only to be quickly followed by Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The Kazekage whistled loudly and almost at once the two bodyguards he had brought with him separated into four shinobi from Oto. They quickly turned their back to the four shinobi and erected a large blue barrier around them. Keeping their hand on the barrier, the also created a second one that would protect them from the Konohagakure shinobi inside. Many became worried when they found themselves unable to break the barrier and aid their Hokage, but when Orochimaru dropped his rues the Konohagakure shinobi didn't think they needed to help.

From where Naruto's snake had bitten Orochimaru during the Second Exam, the area around the bite and the entirety of the man's arm were completely black and withered. His once intimidating appearance seemed like nothing more then a joke to the two other shinobi he was facing off against and even the one he was holding hostage. He growled in frustration as the Hokage broke away from him rather easily.

"Orochi-chan, I think you've been bitten by something. Do you want some ointment?" Tsunade teased while Jiraiya snickered and even the Hokage cracked a smile.

"Shut up you ugly bitch!" he snapped. "I'll kill the brat that did this to me after I've finished killing the three of you!"

"Ugly?!" screamed Tsunade and Jiraiya. Tsunade was honestly surprised when Jiraiya spoke up in her defense.

"Tsunade-hime is what every man desires!" shouted the older man as he walked up and grabbed hold of her breasts. "Have you _seen _these things?!"

He realized his mistake when he began heard a grinding noise that was steadily getting louder. He began trembling in fear as he looked up to find his old teammates face flushed with rage. Rather then risk a beating unlike anything he had ever encountered, Jiraiya decided to quickly tease their opponent and hope that Tsunade forgot about him grabbing her.

"Are you sure you don't want a rain check? We're good for an invasion on the 13th if you're interested." Jiraiya teased only to have Tsunade forget her anger and laugh before slapping him on the back. Silently he was crying from the slap but he looked so cool right now and he couldn't mess that up. He also knew that the slap was still a lot better then what his beating would have been if he did anything to remind her that he had just groped her.

"I haven't forgotten, Jiraiya." whispered Tsunade darkly only to have Jiraiya whimper like a scared puppy.

Luckily Orochimaru was pissed off and said something that turned her attention away from her perverted teammate. "One arm is more then enough to beat a pervert, an old man, and a big chested whore!"

"Come now, I'm not that old." the Hokage whined.

"Pervert?! How dare you?! I'm a super pervert!" stated Jiraiya as if it were an honor.

"I may have big tits but I am not a whore! I've only slept with two people and that... t-that is none of your business." Tsunade said as she blushed a little.

"Orochimaru, what is it that you hope to accomplish by doing this?" the Hokage asked while even though he was confident in their chances of winning, he would still rather not have to fight.

"I just want to see Konohagakure burned to the ground. I want you all to realize that by not choosing me you have created your worst nightmare!" the snake man shouted. Sadly for Orochimaru, when he said these words the three shinobi didn't think of him but of what Naruto could become if pushed to far.

"Is this all because I ate that apple pie you were saving? I told you I was..." started Jiraiya only to be cut off.

"Damn it! I had forgotten about that! Now I'm really pissed off!" Orochimaru hissed while many sweat dropped.

"It was a really good pie. Tsunade made it when she was drunk and while normally she can't cook worth a damn, while she's drunk she is amazing." Jiraiya explained while Tsunade was making a mental note to ask Shizune about this.

Just as they were about to continue their 'fight', Jiraiya called for everyone to wait before pulling out a familiar kunai and throwing it into the ground. He smirked as a purple and yellow blur appeared only to run face first into the unbreakable barrier.

While Naruto began cursing everything under the sun, Jiraiya and Tsunade laughed as loud as they could. The fact that there were battles popping up all around them didn't seemed to faze them one bit.

"What the fuck was that for?!" Naruto shouted while even the four Oto nins were snickering.

"That was for calling me 'Ero-hime' in front of a stadium full of people! Also for calling Tsunade 'Jiggly-baa-chan'!" stated Jiraiya only to have Tsunade actually turn and kiss him square on the lips.

Once she pulled away she was still smiling brightly by the fact that Jiraiya had gotten the blond back for earlier. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was barely hanging on to consciousness from the kiss the blonde beauty had given him. Seeing the self proclaimed 'super pervert' act this way would have been hilarious but sadly no one saw it as they were still laughing at Naruto.

"Fine, you've gotten me back! This is a fucking invasion so stop acting like a fucking child and let me get back to my figt..." Naruto shouted before finally seeing Orochimaru and falling silent.

The Hokage watched as purple chakra engulfed the demon vessel.

With more self control then even Naruto thought he had, he turned away from Orochimaru and towards the Hokage. "Kill him or I will make your life a living hell!"

With that he disappeared back into the village and suddenly there were gurgled screams coming from all across Konohagakure as Naruto raced across the village, killing any enemy shinobi unlucky enough to be standing in his path.

"You know? For some strange reason I don't think Naruto likes you very much." Jiraiya offered lamely once he got over the kiss, which was no easy feat. His heart, however, was still pounding in his chest.

At the sound of the name, Orochimaru's eyes flashed dangerously. "Do not speak that name again!"

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto." Tsunade chanted mockingly before suddenly the blond appeared once again only to run face first into the barrier... again.

"One more time and I'm killing everyone in this village!" he swore before disappearing... again.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Jiraiya shouted while Tsunade only shrugged, her own face a mirror for the shock she was feeling.

"Please don't try it again." sighed the Third while inside he was laughing happily at the blond and saying how much the sadistic brat deserved it for the way he pranked him once when he was five. The Hokage had never forgotten about that and still had nightmares about male parts drawn on every woman in his favorite book.

They all fell silent as they tried to work through what had just happened until they heard Jiraiya chanting. "Tsunade naked, Tsunade naked, Tsunade naked!" When he opened his eyes all he found was a very pissed of blonde, who was still fully clothed, and two sighing shinobi.

"Can any of you blame me? I thought it was magic day or something." he reasoned only to have Tsunade's fist meet his face on a very personal level.

As she smashed the pervert into the ground the Hokage took off his robes to reveal battle armor.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he shouted after making a long set of hand seals and biting him thumb.

Instead of a giant snake or frog, the Third Hokage summoned a monkey. A monkey that easily exceeded the size of two very large men. Even with their own summons being so large, the Densetsu no Sannin still stopped everything and looked at the monkey in fear.

_Flashback:_

"What have I told you about fighting?! A team should work together!" a large monkey shouted as his hand came down onto the ass of a young Jiraiya. Suddenly the monkey looked at a younger Orochimaru and Tsunade and said. "You two are next."

_End Flashback:_

"Still fighting I see." the now older monkey stated while the three instinctively covered their behinds. "You and I are both far to old for that to work. Besides, that pervert would probably like it."

"Hey!" Jiraiya shouted angrily while Tsunade laughed and even Orochimaru forgot himself and snickered before shaking himself and sneering. "I'm not into that! Now if you have some more human looking female monkeys I'd be more then happy to write a book about them."

"Can we _please _start fighting now?" begged Orochimaru who was looking worse and worse as their 'battle' raged on.

"Fine, fine." the Third stated as his summon, Enma, suddenly changed into a very large staff. A staff that he expertly twirled around before holding in tightly under one of his arms. While he did this his two students cracked their knuckles in anticipation. "You shall have your fight."

As Naruto continued to run across Konohagakure, he suddenly noticed that Oto and Suna were starting to withdraw. After he stopped he heard a loud cheer start in some part of the village and before long everyone else had joined in.

Just as Hinata, Shino, Tenten, Kurenai, and Anko arrived at his position, Naruto smiled one final time before everything went dark and he began falling backwards. The sounds of people screaming his name echoed throughout his mind.

As his eyes slowly opened and began to focus, he only saw a very white ceiling. A hospital's ceiling. Over the years, when Anko's training got a little to rough, Naruto had learned all to well what the rooms of Konoha's hospital looked like and their ceilings were still a welcome sight.

Sighing heavily, Naruto figured that he had put to much strain on his body. That assumption only seemed to solidify when he barely twitched and his entire body seemed to light up with pain.

"So, you're awake." Tsunade stated as she leaned into his line of sight and smiled. "You had us all pretty scared, Naruto."

As Naruto ignored the pain and slowly raised into a sitting position, with more then a little help from Tsunade, he felt something slide against his skin. Reaching down Naruto found a necklace with a long green gem attacked to it. "What's this?"

"That is from me." Tsunade answered as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "My jii-san gave that to me. It's said that if you were to sell it you would have enough money to buy three mountains."

"And pay off at least half of your debts." Naruto teased.

"Maybe." she replied with a slight smile which only served to confuse Naruto more.

"Why would you give it to me?" he asked as he began staring at the beautiful necklace in wonder.

"Because I wanted you to have it. You gave me a reason to want to stay in this village again, something I haven't had in a very long time. You may have Anko and Kurenai but I also think of you as an touto." she answered while Naruto smiled back at her happily. "Plus I have some bad news."

Naruto's eyes widened but before he could even begin his list of what 'bad news' she could possible have to tell him, Tsunade said. "The Third finally realized how old he has gotten when we finally got around to fighting Orochimaru and he has decided to step down as Hokage. I'm sorry, Naruto, but he has named me the Fifth Hokage and not you."

To anyone wandering around outside, a loud 'NOOOOOOO!' was heard throughout most of Konohagakure but only a select few realized what it meant.

"I haven't been sworn in yet because I want you there." she told while smiling kindly down at him. Naruto knew something was coming but still he took the smile to be an honest one.

"I suppose you can't be sworn in without a future Hokage present." Naruto stated firmly with a curt nod of his head. For a moment he noticed how strange it felt to have his hair down.

"Fuck no! I just wanted to rub it in your stupid face, you little bastard!" Tsunade shouted with laughter evident in her voice only to have Naruto growl and dive at her.

When the rest of Team 8, their sensei, Tenten, Anko, and Jiraiya arrived they found Naruto sitting on top of Tsunade trying to choke her to death while the blonde woman just laughed. To the select few who had seem them together when they had first met it seemed like an odd change of position.

"So she told you?" Kurenai asked gently as her and Anko moved to pull Naruto off of their soon to be Hokage.

"Yes and I was fine with it until that jiggly bitch said the only reason she waited to be sworn in was so that she could rub my face in it!" Naruto shouted as he fought the hold Kurenai and Anko had on him. Now, however, Jiraiya was forced to hold back Tsunade who seemed just as willing to strangle the blond as he was her.

"You had better respect me you little shit!" Tsunade shouted. "I'm going to be Hokage!"

"I don't respect jii-san so why should I respect some big chested skank like you!" he shouted only to pale as Jiraiya smirked and let Tsunade go. While Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the punch he knew was coming, all he left were a pair of lips press up against his forehead.

As Tsunade wrapped her arms around Naruto, she whispered. "I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am that your around, Naruto. Your annoying as hell but you're starting to mean a lot to me."

"I guess I could be a little more respectful to you." Naruto said gruffly while Tenten looked as though she wanted nothing more then to peal the skin from his forehead and keep it as a souvenir.

"What the hell is going on in... oh." shouted Shizune until she saw everyone. "Tsunade-sama, you should know how to act in a hospital!"

"Sorry." muttered everyone.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered as her face turned a bright red.

"Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Your g-gown is o-open." she stuttered only for Naruto to do the dumbest thing possible. He tried to see for himself only to spin in a circle, flashing the entire room. Really only Tenten appreciated the view.

"Oops." he whispered while his own blushed immediately began to spread across his cheeks as he reached back and held it shut.

"Are you sure there wasn't any brain damage?" Kurenai asked the two med-nins while Naruto pouted and crossed his arms.

"None that we could find."

"No, he's fine. My little Naru-chan has never been the sharpest cookie in a shed." Anko said and it must have been a joke between the two because only Naruto and her laughed. The others just looked confused. "N-Naruto used to say that until I told him that he was combining sayings into one that didn't make any sense. Y-You should have seen his face!"

"Think about it. This is was what your going to marry into." Kurenai teased Tenten.

"Why are you making fun of me? You're already basically married to Anko!" she countered only to have Kurenai mouth 'oh yeah' before turning away as she blushed prettily.

"So who dominates who?" Jiraiya asked and before they could stop themselves Kurenai, Naruto, and Anko all answered.

"Anko-chan/Anko-nee-chan/Me."

When they saw Jiraiya pull out an all to familiar notebook and jot it down, the entire room turned and glared at him.

"Now who likes...." he started before he looked up and saw their glares as well as the company he was currently keeping. Before they could stop him, he quickly did a swan dive from the window. After they heard a loud crash and a series of curses Shizune sighed.

"Idiot didn't remember this was the third floor."

With that she walked out of the room to go and get the pervert.

"Mitarashi Naruto?" asked a deep voice from the doorway.

"Yes?" Naruto said as he turned towards the door to find three ANBU standing there looking slightly worried. The one who had spoken was wearing a mask that looked like a bear and was standing in the middle. The one to his left wore a tiger mask while the one to his right wore a hawk mask.

"We've have been ordered by the council to bring you before them." The man in the bear mask told him only to actually shiver under the combined glare of everyone in the room. He couldn't see Shino's eyes but by his body language alone he knew.

"Listen you little fuc..." started Tsunade before Naruto cut her off.

"It's ok. I kind of figured something like this would happen once everyone saw me us that technique. Now that I'll be doing higher level missions and displaying more abilities, I wouldn't be surprised if they call me before them more often."

"I would like you to know that most of us in ANBU hold nothing against you. In fact, I've heard a few of my superiors talk about offering you a position once you've held the rank Chuunin for long enough." the man in the bear mask said while the two with him nodded.

"Is it alright if nee-chan comes?" Naruto asked.

"Like I'm fucking staying!" shouted Tenten while the rest of the room nodded.

The three ANBU members quickly realized that the only way they would be getting Naruto in front of the council was if he was allowed to bring everyone in the room. Since the room included Anko and Tsunade they also had to worry about their own health should they try and deny him his request. Keeping this in mind it wasn't much longer before everyone was outside of the room in the administrative building the council used to hold their meeting. Since they also didn't want to listen to the council whine about all of them being there, the ANBU members quickly let them inside before leaving.

"Why are you all here? We only asked for that... _thing_." asked one of the councilmen who quickly fell silent once Anko, Kurenai, and Tsunade glared at him.

"They are here because they are my family. Now what do _you _want?" Naruto asked as he was silently glad Tsunade talked him out of wearing the hospital gown. He had planed to moon them all but Tsunade said it wouldn't help his case any to show off his bony little ass. Even though Tsunade was her hero an everything she aspired to be, Tenten had to disagree with her comment about his ass. She found it quite pleasing to look at but still felt that him wearing the mini-Anko outfit he always wore was the best choice.

"You are here because we have found you guilty of treason." the councilmen stated with a gleeful smile while Tsunade and the rest gasped.

"Treason? How the fuck have I committed treason?!" Naruto shouted while most of the council frowned. Only Hiashi and Shibi looked as though they didn't want to be there.

The Third had finally arrived without a sound and was also frowning but for a very different reason then the council was. This was not what the council was created for. He absently wondered what they would do when Tsunade became Hokage. A slight smirk appeared when he thought of the headaches she would cause since she was as stubborn as they come and would refuse to breath is she were against it.

"For one thing you stole a scroll from Jiraiya-sama and learned the Hiraishin no Jutsu, thereby tarnishing the name of our Fourth Hokage. For another we know for fact that you let three Sunagakure shinobi escape unharmed. Those shinobi happened to be Sabaku no Gaara, Sabaku no Temari, and Sabaku no Kankuro; the children of the Kazekage!" another councilman shouted.

"For one thing, Naruto didn't steal the scroll. I gave it to him to read after he proved to me that he could learn it. I happened to be following the orders left to me by the Fourth Hokage so how could Naruto be tarnishing his name?" asked a fully healed Jiraiya once he appeared beside Tsunade. His gaze hardened greatly as he scanned over their faces. "You would have known this is you had bothered to ask Tsunade, Jii-san, or myself. The fact that you are making up false claims and charging people with them makes me doubt the competency of this council."

It would seem that the council had only added that charge in the hopes that Jiraiya wouldn't show up.

"How do you know that I let them go? If I remember correctly, this council, save a few honest shinobi, ran for cover as soon as the attack started." Naruto inquired while those on his side laughed quietly.

"We had members of Root tailing you to make sure you weren't involved in the invasion." one of them said proudly. This man had one eye covered with bandages, only half of his right arm, and a cross shaped scare on his chin.

"So instead of helping us fight of the enemy you had shinobi tailing someone on our own side and you're calling Naruto in for treason?!" Tsunade shouted while most of the council sank back. It was very well known throughout Konohagakure that Tsunade had a very short temper and was prone to putting someone in the hospital for the smallest of misdeeds.

"Besides, if you had shinobi tailing me then you should know that the three in question never killed or attacked anyone. They were so eager to leave because they feared for their touto, Gaara, and I can't seem to recall where it is write that it is against the laws of our village to spare the lives of innocent shinobi?"

"Hearing this, exactly how is this council charging Naruto with treason?" asked Anko through clenched teeth. She knew how hard Naruto had fought and hated that after giving his all to protect them, the council still wanted to make his life a living hell.

"Who's charging? We've already found him guilty." the man with the cross shaped scare said as he and the most of the council smirked. Hiashi and Shibi were forced to look away from their children when their faces snapped towards theirs.

"I really doubt that." a voice stated firmly as the doors opened to reveal a beautiful woman with bright green eyes and black hair who led no less then twenty Aburame into the room.

"I don't know who you are, _woman, _but you have..." started a councilwoman only to stop when the Aburame behind her moved forward a step and Shibi himself stood and slammed his fists into the table.

"You would do well to remember _your_ place when addressing my kanai!" Shibi snapped while Naruto and the rest looked between the woman and Shino in disbelief. Shino seemed just as shocked but not because his kaa-san had arrived, he was amazed that his tou-san had broken out of what Aburame consider to be proper behavior and shouted.

"W-Wow." stuttered Hinata who like everyone, save a select few others, felt intimidated by the beautiful woman. Of course she was also dating the woman's musuko so in Hinata's mind there was the need for her to be liked by this woman.

"Hiashi, I am very disappointed in you. You used to live you life to make Hitomi happy and now you are disgracing her name. You know how she felt about Naruto." Akiko said and for the first time in her life, Hinata saw her tou-san look ashamed. "As for you, Shibi-kun, I do not know what they have said to you to cause you to vote this way but you _will _be changing your vote."

"I will." Shibi promised before turning towards the council. "I change my vote. Now, since you no longer have unanimous consent of this council, it is still under the Hokage's jurisdiction."

"I would also like to change my vote, even though it is no longer needed." Hiashi said firmly.

"You'll let this... _thing _walk out of here alive? Knowing what it is, what it's done?!" the scarred man shouted.

"Danzo, need I remind you that I disbanded Root many a year ago? Since you have openly admitted to keeping it running I could very easily charge _you_ with treason as well as this entire council as they admitted to knowing it was still active without informing me. And I will. Unless, of course, you decide to forget about this entire ridiculous ordeal." the Third stated while speaking for the first time.

The council muttered a few things as the rose to their feet and entered a small chamber in the back of the room. No doubt so that they could talk about how much 'good' it would have done to kill 'that demon brat'. Hiashi and Shibi, however, both stood and disappeared in twin swirls of leaves with the knowledge that Akiko would surely kill them later for what had almost happened.

"Thanks a lot, Ba-chan(informal version of aunt; auntie)." Naruto said as he smiled back at Shino's kaa-san. Shino stiffened when he heard this, he was used to Naruto being Naruto but not when he was addressing his kaa-san.

"You are very welcome." Akiko replied softly before turning to Hinata who gave an odd sound and hide further behind Shino. "Come on out from behind him. I would like to see for myself what kind of woman my musuko has chosen."

Hinata did as the woman asked although very slowly. She even started tapping her finger tips together like she used to do before meeting Naruto. Seeing this seemed to change something in Naruto as he suddenly lost his smile. This was only noticed by a select few people.

"H-Hello." Hinata stuttered before bowing deeply.

"Choose your words wisely. I know you are Shino's kaa-san but I won't allow anyone to hurt Hinata-chan." Naruto threatened the woman while every Aburame around him, even Shino, began swelling with anger at his words. "Hinata-chan is a very good person and Shino is lucky to have her."

"I know all about Hinata's kindness. I just wanted to see clearly what she looked like. I had seen her in passing during the invasion and wished to see her more clearly. I also know of your protective nature when it comes to her and I assure you that I mean her no harm; be it mentally or physically." Akiko told him with a faint smile that seemed to make the other Aburame relax before she turned back to Hinata who had been shocked by Naruto's words. "You look just like your kaa-san did at you age. You seem to act like her too. I remember when I first met her she used to stutter and blush just like you. Of course she didn't have Naruto to force her shell open."

"Akiko-sama, we must be returning." advised one of the Aburame.

"Must we? I would love to spend more time among those who have become so important to my musuko." Akiko said sadly. Even Anko and Naruto appeared affected by the sadness in her voice.

"If you'd like you can join us in getting something to eat? I'd like to make it up to you for thinking the worst in you a moment ago." Naruto offered while more of the Aburame looked very offended by this but Shino and the others felt happy that Naruto could act like a gentlemen when the mood struck him.

Akiko looked at him for a moment before shocking the others with her by nodding. "I believe I will. I have never eaten anything outside of the Aburame Sector."

"I hope you like ramen." Shino muttered while Naruto pouted and the others who knew him began laughing.

As Naruto led the large group into Ichiraku Ramen Bar, Teuchi nearly cried when he looked out from the back after his musume called out to him. Of course the group was even larger since Akiko's guard suddenly 'felt' like ramen as well.

"Hey, Jii-san! I brought more people!" Naruto shouted causing Akiko to smile and turn towards Anko.

"Is he always like this?"

"Yeah. I don't know where he gets it from." Anko said while everyone around her stopped and stared at her. "Ok fine. He fucking got it from me! You happy now you fucking.."

Kurenai quickly silenced her with a well placed hand. "Stop licking my hand. You can lick me later."

"Sensei!" shouted Hinata and Naruto while Jiraiya suddenly got a nose bleed and passed out.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you two are lovers?" Akiko asked as they all sat down, her sitting beside Tenten and Hinata while Naruto and Shino sat on the other side of their girlfriends. Kurenai and Anko sat down next to each other by Naruto. Which left Tsunade to carry Jiraiya's unconscious body over and sit down next to Shino.

"You would." Anko said happily while Kurenai smiled also.

"Would I also be correct in assuming that you do that kind of thing often?"

"You bet your ass they do!" Naruto shouted causing Anko and Kurenai to pout. "And at home and anywhere else they happen to be."

"If they are happy and in love why should they hide it?" Akiko asked before turning to Ayame and placing her order. She had never had ramen before but Tenten had whispered to her that they were all good. Naruto seemed to want to prove that by ordering one of each flavor.

"Kaa-san, it is good to see you out side of our sector." Shino told his kaa-san softly while she turned and smiled.

"I had originally wanted to go see you and Naruto fight but along the way the invasion started. Now I find myself out once again to stop your tou-san from doing something foolish. Perhaps next time I will be allowed to leave simply because I wish to."

"Hey! What makes you think Naruto-kun would have beaten me?" Tenten asked, or more like whined.

Naruto smirked and suddenly began whispering things into her ear. The more he said the redder her face got and soon even her nose started to bleed.

"O-Ok... y-you win." she whispered.

"That reason exactly. I remember a time when I was in the middle of sparring with Shibi-kun, when he began whispering the naughtiest things to me to make me forget my next move. Of course we were at an age where we actually did those things. Not that we don't anymore. Shibi-kun is...."

"Kaa-san!" Shino snapped while everyone else laughed at him, even his kaa-san turned and smiled. He had never seen his side of his kaa-san before and even though it was embarrassing it was good to see her smiling so much.

"Anko and Kurenai are not the only once who like to tease their musuko. Yes, I know he is her 'touto' but I can bet you Naruto does not think of them as merely his 'nee-chans'." Akiko said and when everyone looked at Naruto he suddenly became very... or even more interested in his ramen.

Anko quickly leaned in and whispered something before kissing him on the cheek. Of course Tenten and Kurenai started teasing him only to make his already red cheeks become even redder then they had been after her kiss.

"S-Stupid nee-chan. I still have to get her back for that prank she pulled on me during the Second Exam." Naruto muttered as he stabbed his ramen a few times, but Tsunade suddenly looked interested in this.

"What's this about the second exam?" she asked while Anko and Kurenai smirked while Tenten and Hinata started laughing. Even Shino allowed himself to laugh very quietly along side his insects increase in noise. This alone seemed to make Akiko more curious then she had been before because she rarely heard her musuko laugh and had never heard about him laughing outside the compound.

By the time Anko was finished telling them the story and showing them the pictures of Naruto as a baby and from that night, which she apparently carried around with her for embarrassment on the go, Naruto was reduced to hitting his head on the counter while everyone was laughing at him. The only reason he knew Akiko's guards were laughing was because he had been around Shino so much.

Akiko suddenly stopped Shino's laughter by showing them all pictures she had of him from when he was a baby. Hinata of course cooed over the picture of a three year old Shino in a little sailors suit he did not seem to want to be wearing if his glare and swarming insects were any indication. As odd as it seemed, Akiko also had a picture of a naked Shino running from a swarm of bees. She told them that at the time Shino had thought his insects were better so he would make fun of the bees while he swam in a pond on their property. What he didn't know was that his insect were translating his every word and apparently the bees took offense to he was saying.

Luckily for Tenten and Hinata their parents weren't there or else they would have had to take their turn at hitting their head against the counter as people laughed at them. Hinata knew that as cold as her tou-san seemed at times, he would have taken his turn happily.

After Naruto paid a large sum of money for the meal and Teuchi hugged him and thanked him for years of loyal service, he was finally able to rejoin the other and ask. "So when do we find out who got promoted?"

"After I become Hokage. Jii-san didn't want to put up with it so he made it my call." Tsunade told him with a smirk.

"You look so beautiful today, Tsunade-sama!" Naruto said as if on que. "If you promote me I'll steal every _Icha Icha _book in the village and burn them all."

Tsunade looked very interested in this offer while Jiraiya paled and started pleading with the boy to retracted his offer.

"What about those of us who didn't get to fight?" Tenten asked sadly.

"I'll ask those who saw you fight in the battle as well as your sensei and parents. Believe me, if you should be promoted I will know." Tsunade assured her leaving Tenten looking a lot happier then she had just a moment ago.

"Jiggly-baa-chan, can I talk to you?" Naruto asked quickly while sounding so serious that many wondered what this had to do with. Tsunade was even able ignore what he called her as she followed him away from the group.

"What, brat?"

"I want to tell you something I've been keeping from jii-san." Naruto said with a smirk while Tsunade smiled and began listening far more intently. "You know how he always has stacks of paperwork that keep him from doing what ever he wants?"

"Yes." muttered Tsunade when she thought of the only bad thing about being Hokage. She wanted the title and paycheck but hated the idea of actually having to work for it.

"Well, I was saving this for when I became Hokage so I could rub his nose in it but since you're going to be Hokage before me, I'll tell you so you can do it." Naruto whispered while Tsunade smiled even more at the sound of it. "He is incredibly smart and yet I've never seen him do this even though I thought about it mere moments after learning it. You can just use Kage Bunshin to do the paperwork so _you _can go out and do what you want!"

Everyone watched as Tsunade squealed like a Uchiha fan-girl before picking Naruto up and hugging him tightly between her large... assets. While Jiraiya looked envious the rest just looked confused, curious, and slightly scared.

"Anko, I love this brat!" Tsunade shouted before she grabbed a still sulking Jiraiya and ran off towards the Hokage Tower.

"What in the hell did you tell her?!" Anko shouted. She had been the one looked at the scene feeling slightly scared. Naruto and Tsunade usually were trying to strangle each other so seeing her hugging him like that was just plain weird.

"The secret to becoming a great Hokage." Naruto answered with such conviction that many wondered if what he had told her wasn't really the secret he claimed it was.

"Ok..." Kurenai said slowly before she and Anko just turned and walked away. The entire thing seemed to far fetched for their liking so they choose to simply leave the blond as they made their way back to their home.

"My musuko, I would like to meet with you and Hinata." Akiko stated while Shino and Hinata followed obediently behind her. They were both very nervous about the upcoming talk but neither of them could find a single good reason to postpone it. The smirks on Tenten and Naruto's face didn't help much either.

"You know? I never even asked but, how long was I out?" Naruto asked Tenten only to have her laugh at him. Normally that would have been the first question out of someone's mouth after the wake up in a hospital but Naruto had waited until everyone was gone to finally ask.

"Two days. You were actually in pretty bad shape because of the strain that technique placed on your body. I remember Tsunade-sama saying that you broke just about every bone, tore just about every muscle, and were left with just enough chakra to stay alive. Lucky for you the fox seemed to refile your chakra reserves rather quickly and even helped Tsunade-sama and Shizune-chan heal you." Tenten answered while Naruto nodded and took her hand in his. To most she would have sounded calm and even indifferent towards his injuries but Naruto knew her far to well to believe that. He knew she had been very worried simply by the look she had had in her eyes when she first saw him awake and choking Tsunade. A look of complete and utter relief and joy.

"Since you're here I'm assuming that your parents are fine?"

"Absolutely perfect. Tou-san is under house arrest because kaa-san caught him sneaking back into the house after the battle when she forbade him from going." Tenten told him with a giggle.

"I'm glad everyone is ok. I realize that we lost a lot of good people during the invasion but I can't help but feel happy that none of them were close to me. It makes me think of how badly that could have gone if Gaara had been able to fully transform." he whispered softly only to have Tenten let go of his hand and grab hold of his entire arm. He took a great deal of comfort form her as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

It wasn't until right then that a thought suddenly struck him. He had thought about it a little but something always seemed to push it aside in terms of importance. Tenten's taijutsu style. It just seemed to... unique to be a simple style. He had always toyed with the thought that it was actually a kekkei genkai(blood inheritance limit) but had never gotten around to asking Tenten about it. Now, he had no reason not to.

"Tenten-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" she replied without looking up from his shoulder.

"Are you sure that your taijutsu style isn't a kekkei genkai? I mean, doesn't it seem quite a bit beyond a simple taijutsu style?"

"Kaa-san said it was a taijutsu form." Tenten answered with a shrug. "If it is anything more then that I don't think she knows. Truthfully I don't really care what it is. It's cool and it helps me in battle so that's all that matters. Why?"

"No reason. It's always bugged me but every time I think about it something comes along and pushes it aside. I just wanted to ask you about it while I had the chance." he explained before the two fell into an easy silence that lasted all the way to Tenten's front door.

Unlike the last few times, Naruto actually entered the home and immediately began laughing along side Tenten at the scene in front of them. The incredibly intimidating Imaki Kenshin was being forced to dust by his much smaller okusan. He looked back at them and growled but a sharp look from his kanai forced his attention back to his task.

"This is what you get for sneaking out to fight in that battle! You know I told you not to go!" Emi chided as if she were speaking to a small child and the large man in front of her.

"I said I was sorry." he muttered while Naruto was forced to hold up Tenten as her knees finally gave out. Finally Kenshin rounded on them, the fact that he was still holding the duster seemed to ruin the effect thought. "I may be under house arrest but I am still _your _tou-san and _you _are still dating _my _musume!"

If it hadn't been for that feather duster the two might have taken what he said seriously. Even Emi was forced to hide her laugher behind her hand as she watched her shujin sulk and returned to his punishment. Finally she took pity on him and walked up behind him before wrapping her arms around his waist. Seeing this seemed to be a warning sign to Tenten because she quickly grabbed Naruto's hand and guided him up to her room.

Even in their time apart her room hadn't changed much except for the new pile of senbon needles stuck erratically in the target opposite her bed. A lot of people wondered about Tenten's pinpoint accuracy and simply brushed it off as talent but few realized that while she did have a talent for range weapons, she also spent hours upon hours working on her aim or keeping it at a level she found to be satisfactory. Which was normally perfection, or as close to it as she could manage.

While Tenten ran and jumped into her bed, Naruto walked over to the wall and pulled the needles out before joining her on her bed. She smiled happily when he divided up the pile and handed her a half.

"How about we play a little game?" she asked with a slight gleam in her eyes. It only seemed to make Naruto more nervous when she jumped out of bed and locked her door. Which was easily understandable considering how her tou-san usually acted when he was in Tenten's room.

"And what game did you have in mind, my love?"

"Why a little game of strip target practice of course!" she announced while immediately Naruto blushed as his mind became flooded with images of Tenten in.... less clothing. "We each throw one and the closest wins."

"How much have you already practiced with these?" he asked with a hint of accusation in his tone. It was a playful accusation so Tenten took the comment in stride and pretended to look insulted.

"Do you honestly think that I would try and hustle you out of your cloths? I'm shocked, Naruto-kun, shocked!"

"Ok then, I'll play." he finally agreed and smiled as Tenten threw her first one and it stuck a hairs width outside of the bullseye. Her look seemed to falter a little when Naruto threw his and it landed dead center. "I believe you have some thing that belongs to me?"

Tenten muttered insults and death threats under her breath as she pulled off one of her boots and threw it at him. He only laughed and hugged the boot as if it were made of gold, or ramen in his case.

"My other boot says that you can't do that again!" she challenged and Naruto knew that her pride and competitiveness had begun to take over. This used to happen a few times when he beat her in their kunai throwing games and usually led to a fight. He could only hope this didn't. Still, if he missed on purpose she would know in seconds and accuse him of taking it easy on her because she was a woman. Sometimes Naruto agreed with Shikamaru, women were troublesome. Beautiful, but troublesome.

"Ok but your feet will be cold." he teased in an attempt to keep their game on the fun side as he lazily took aim and threw his second needle. Tenten growled as it slid in right next to his first before chucking her other shoe at him. "So... do you still want to play?"

Tenten didn't say anything as she threw her needle, her frown became very pronounced as it landed less then a half an inch away from Naruto's. Apparently just hitting the bullseye wasn't enough anymore.

"Tenten-chan, lets go..." started Naruto before Tenten shot him an all to familiar glare that told him that there would be no stopping until the end. He knew that he was in for trouble whether he won or not. He almost started cursing as his needle slid in next to the other two. If Tenten got closer to the center then maybe he could slip on in just outside of hers. As he thought about this his slightly angry girlfriend took off her hitai-ate and roughly forced it into his hands.

Her next one was a blessing as it split two of his and made it impossible for Naruto to get closer. So, after he threw his and missed tying her by a hairs width. She seemed more then happy to take his left shin guard.

This continued and Naruto found himself able to lose a few more times until it dawned on him that Tenten had already taken off everything except her shirt and pants, and what was under them of course. He still had on his pants and shirt but his 'shirt' didn't cover much in the first place. Seeing as how she was able to win a few, Tenten seemed to be looking at him oddly once again but also with a hint of unease as she realized that losing even one would allow Naruto to seem more then he had since they were younger. Of course by now Naruto found himself wanting to win as his hormones seemed to kick into overdrive.

The two threw their next needles. Naruto won.

"Tenten-chan, you don't have to...." he started to tell her just encase she was feeling scared or uncertain about losing one of the garments but Naruto lost his ability to speak when she began undoing the row of buttons along the right side of her shirt.

He watched and his eyes steadily grew wider as Tenten fumbled with the last button, her face was incredibly red at this point. She looked up at him one last time before ducking her head shyly as she opened her shirt and pulled it off. Being only thirteen meant that Tenten didn't exactly have a lot to look at but what she did have Naruto loved. The strapless bra she was wearing seemed to be the exact same color as her shirt and fit her like a glove. He couldn't help but rake his eyes over her exposed skin and even the sight of her supple shoulders seemed to stir up quite a few feelings inside of him. When her skin seemed to be turning pink Naruto looked up to find her blushing horribly and looking at him as if trying to gauge his reaction.

"Y-You're beautiful, T-Tenten-chan." he whispered breathlessly while Tenten only seemed to blush more but smiled none the less.

"T-Thank you." she whispered so softly that Naruto almost didn't hear her.

Her blush only got worse when they threw their next needles and Naruto won again.

When she stood up and place her hands on the fastens of her pants, Naruto stopped her. "T-Tenten-chan, I-I realize that this is a rather big step for us and if you're not comfortable making it then we can stop. The last thing I want you to do is to feel forced into doing something you aren't ready for because you lost a game."

"Honestly..." she started as she bit her lower lip and averted her eyes. "I... I don't think I am. I know I'm the one who suggested we play this game but I had hoped I would beat you. Do you mind if we stop playing?"

"Here." he said gently as he handed her her shirt which she quickly put back on and fastened.

Before the game had ended he had seen enough of Tenten to keep his mind entertained for a very long time. He knew he had made the right choice when Tenten crawled in next to him and forced him to lay down beside her.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." she whispered before gently kissing him on the lips.

"I love you, Tenten-chan. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see you take off your pants but I'd never ask you to do that if you were comfortable doing so. Besides, seeing you without your shirt made me realized that I probably would have fainted before they were even all the way off." he admitted and felt glad that he had when Tenten giggled slightly. Although she did blush at the reference to seeing her without her shirt.

"Call me a pervert but I had hoped to see a little more skin then usual." she mused with a wink once she got over her embarrassment.

"You've seen me in swimming trunks so how are my boxers any different?"

"Er... I had our game going a bit further then your boxers in my mind." she admitted shyly while Naruto laughed and pulled her towards him.

"Pervert. And here I was feeling guilty about looking at you in your bra while you were over there think of me naked."

"Why did you feel guilty?" she inquired while feeling honestly surprised by this.

"I didn't exactly try very hard to stop you so I wasn't sure if you actually wanted to."

"But you did try. To be quite honest with you I didn't mind taking off me shirt and I may even do it again if you're lucky." she told him and smirked when Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "If you're very _very_ lucky."

"I don't want to sound perverted but there isn't really any subtle way of asking this so I'm just going to say it and hope you don't slap me." Naruto said quickly. So quickly in fact that Tenten was forced to wait a few moments until she had worked through what he had said.

"Naruto-kun, ask me anything. I'll even give you a free pass this time that allows you to ask anything, perverted or not, without me slapping you in return."

"O-Ok." whispered Naruto while sounding uncharacteristically shy about what he wanted to ask her. "R-Remember that you said you wouldn't slap me. I-If you and I were kissing and my hands seemed to move without me r-realizing it, w-would you kill me if I t-touched you?"

"As in my breasts?" she asked in return as her own cheeks flushed slightly.

"Y-Yes."

"D-Do you think that y-your hands finding their way up there is a p-possibility?"

"Not if you don't want them to." Naruto answered in a very quiet voice. In all honestly he was afraid that Tenten might think he was a pervert and slap him anyway, or worse that his question had scared her and she now felt uncomfortable about being with him.

"I... I don't think I would mind a _little_ touching, so long as it doesn't seem like that is all you care about. Also it has to be over the clothing only, you hands begin to wander under and I'll cut them off. W-Why don't we try now that way if I don't like it it isn't happening while we're kissing?" she offered and Naruto nodded in agreement fairly quickly.

Tenten rolled onto her back while Naruto moved closer lifted himself onto his elbow, his forearm acting as a pillow for Tenten. From his spot over her, Naruto could see her nervous look and was reasonably sure that he had that exact same look on his face. Very slowly he lifted his hand but stopped and rested it on her stomach for a moment.

"A-Are you sure? I-It isn't l-like it's this incredibly i-important..." Naruto started before Tenten grabbed hold of his hand and slowly slid it up until it was resting on her right breast.

"Does that answer your question?" she whispered an very slowly Naruto began gently moving his hand against her small breast. They were small, yes, but to him that felt amazing even if he was only feeling them over her shirt and when Tenten grabbed the sides of his face and began kissing him, he realized that she probably was enjoying it as much as he was.

Sadly a sudden pounding on the door shocked them both so badly that Tenten shoved Naruto off of her with enough force to push him off the bed and onto the floor. Without checking to see if her boyfriend was ok, Tenten jumped out of the bed and ran to her door before unlocking it. Luckily it was Emi and not Kenshin standing there. Still, the older woman seemed suspicious and even more so when she noticed their flushed faces and state of undress. Normally being in a shirt and pants was nothing big but when it was Naruto and Tenten, who were hardly ever seen with their hair down and without the few key components that made up their outfit, it seemed... odd.

"And what was going on in here that required the door to be locked?" Emi asked as her musume and her boyfriend sat down on the bed and began putting back on their discarded items.

"N-Nothing like that." Tenten assured her even as her face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

"Hmm... Perhaps you should leave it unlocked whenever Naruto is here?" Emi offered. "I trust you both not to do anything you'll regret but please do this for your tou-san's sanity."

"Of course we will." replied Naruto quickly who would much rather leave the door unlocked then be told that he wasn't allowed in Tenten's room anymore. Tenten seemed to be thinking along those lines as well because she nodded her agreement.

"Now, the reason I came up here is because we need you to watched the shop." Emi explained while looking at Tenten. "Your tou-san and I want to spend a little time together but with the invasion we've been getting more business then usual so we don't want to close for the night. Will you do this for us?"

"Yeah, sure." Tenten agreed even as she put the finishing touches on her hair before walking along side Naruto out of her room and down to the store.

When they arrived they could see why Emi had asked them to watch the store as neither Tenten or Naruto could ever remember so many people browsing the many different weapons they displayed. Business had always been good for them mostly because people trusted Kenshin to not sell them faulty weaponry and he was also more then willing to make custom weapons if the customer called for it. Still it seemed strange to see so many people and yet also finding Kenshin looking as if he wanted to be somewhere else at that moment. Of course Naruto knew exactly where the large man wanted to be and couldn't blame him.

Tenten may have loved weapons but watching other people buying them was not her idea of a good time. Especially when she had her boyfriend standing right next to her that she could have been spending time with... alone. However, she rang up peoples purchases with a friendly smile as if she were honestly happy to see them.

Naruto watched the people around the shop and noticed quite a few of them looking at him out of the corner of their eyes. It was almost like they expected him to suddenly start foaming at the mouth and grabbing weapons to use on them. Finally, after about an hour the blond demon vessel walked around the counter and began looking at the weapons. He knew most of their selection almost as well as the Imaki family did but the senbon needles in Tenten's room had been a new addition.

He never really branched out in the types of weapons he used as he was most comfortable using a katana and kunai. Only one of which he even bothered to carry with him most of the time. However, the needles had been perfectly made and felt nice in his hands. Because of this even Tenten wasn't to surprised when he walked up to her with a couple sets of them.

"Are you going to use them or are you just wanting them for the memories?" she teased as she took his money and watched him blush.

"A little of both."

"I was actually going to tell you about them after I got good enough with them. Their harder to block then kunai and with your knowledge of anatomy they seemed like they were made for you." she said as he strapped one of the casings on the inside of his left wrist while taking the needles out of the second one and moving towards the small target the had hanging behind the counter.

"Care to make a little wager?" he asked with a slight smirk while Tenten immediately looked intrigued. She was almost as bad as Tsunade when it came to betting but luckily she was able to win far more often then the soon to be Hokage. "I'll throw twenty of these at that target and if even one of them misses the bullseye I'll do anything your little heart desires."

"And if you make it?" she asked and even those wandering the shop seemed to be paying attention to this.

"Then you have to do anything I say."

"Make it thirty and you have yourself a deal." countered Tenten and almost at once Naruto agreed. The reason Tenten had asked for ten more to be thrown was simply because the size of the target would be pushing his skill if he made that far along.

"Brat, do you really think you can do it?" a voice asked as two older shinobi walked into the shop and judging by the awed look on Tenten's face it was rather easy to tell who it was even if he hadn't recognized the voice.

"I wouldn't have made the bet if I didn't think I could. You see, that's were you and I differ, Jiggly-baa-chan." stated Naruto as he turned to find Tsunade and Jiraiya standing a few feet behind him. "Did you need something?"

"Your team is being called in for a mission and we were supposed to bring you to Jii-san's office. But that can wait, I want to see you fail so I can laugh in your face." she said before motioning him to go ahead.

"Ok but only if you enter into the bet as well." he said and when Tsunade nodded Tenten seemed to be thinking the same thing as Jiraiya and Naruto. She had already lost if she was betting on the same side as Tsunade.

Like so many times before Tsunade was forced to stand there and watch as one of her bets fell through. Naruto didn't even look as if he was trying very hard and yet he never came close to missing the bullseye. Although, Tenten didn't look all that upset about having to do whatever Naruto happened to think up, or at least not when compared to Tsunade.

"So... what should I make our future Hokage do?" he sang as he turned to the woman and smirked evilly. "Perhaps run through the village naked?"

"Please!" pleaded Jiraiya as if it would mean the world to him, sadly it probably would.

"Naruto-kun, remember who your girlfriend's idol is and that she will be in charge of the missions you go on in the future." Tenten said in a sickeningly sweet tone that promised pain if he did anything to humiliate her idol. Once again Tsunade told herself that she really liked that brat's girlfriend.

"I wasn't actually going to do that." he assured her while fearing Tenten a lot more then what Tsunade could possibly do to him in the future. "I honestly can't think of anything right now so I'll have to get back to you on that. Do you have any idea how long the mission will take?"

"Open. That means that it will last as long as it takes for you to finish the mission. So, it could take a few days or it could take a few years. Personally I don't think it will take all that long, maybe a couple of weeks or a month." Jiraiya told him while Tsunade still seemed to be pouting that she had lost yet another bet.

Sighing heavily, Naruto turned back to his girlfriend and offered her a small smile. Without a word the bun haired girl pulled him towards her by the front of his coat and kissed him soundly. The kiss continued and even Jiraiya was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I don't know where your going or what your doing but you'd better be careful." she whispered hotly across his lips. Her eyes being the only part of her that displayed just how worried she was about him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tenten-chan." he whispered gently and after kissing her one last time, Naruto turned and followed the two older shinobi out of the shop. As soon as they were outside he turned towards the two older shinobi. "Hokage-jii's office?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade both nodded curtly before disappearing an twin swirls of leaves, leaving Naruto to sigh and follow. When he arrived he was actually surprised by the number of people waiting for him. Aside from Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai, his nee-chan was also there and so were Shino's parents and Hinata's tou-san. There were also two people sitting beside the Hokage who appeared just as old as he did.

After giving each of the people in the room either a smile or a nod, Naruto noticed that a simple change of clothing was making his two teammates slightly nervous. Kurenai was no longer wearing her usual white wrappings but the standard issue Jounin uniform, complete with flank jacket. Hinata had rarely seen Kurenai in anything but her wrappings and Shino had _never _seen their sensei dressed in anything but. If anything it only told them both that the mission they were about to be sent on would have a higher risk of fighting then any of the ones they had need sent on before and Naruto knew that their worries were not misplaced.

"Team 8, I have a mission that I believe your team is well suited for." stated the Hokage once Naruto finally took a seat between Hinata and Kurenai. The old but still very powerful shinobi shot Anko a weary look before continuing. "First, however, Tsunade needs to do something."

When most of the room turned towards the large breasted woman, said woman merely smirked and tossed each Naruto, Hinata, and Shino a flank jacket. While Naruto leapt to his feet an began taking off his trench coat, Hinata and Shino, as well as the rest of the room, could only stare at the flank jackets and Tsunade in disbelief. Even as Naruto zipped the jacket up before putting his usual tan trench coat over it, still no one moved or spoke.

"Jiggly-baa-chan, you are the greatest!" Naruto shouted happily, finally breaking most of the room out of their shock.

As chaos broke out and many people began screaming for an explanation, Shino and Hinata quickly followed Naruto's example and took of their jackets only to put them back on once they zipped up the flank jackets that signified that they were Chuunin of Konoha. However both of them closed the jackets they usually wore back over top of them.

"I am very proud of you, my musuko." came a whispered voice from behind the team of newly promoted Chuunin. Turning they found Shibi and Akiko looking at Shino with pride shinning even in Shibi's face. Hiashi had been standing with the group but had yet to say anything as he looked down at his blushing musume.

"Hinata..." he started only to falter when she looked up at him as if expecting him to berate her for not becoming a Chuunin quicker. "Hinata, I can't think of anyone more deserving of the title of Chuunin then you and your team. The strength you each showed during the invasion proved to many that you were by no means a normal Genin team. I stand by Tsunade-sama's decision to promote you."

"T-Thank you." Hinata whispered as she shyly stepped forward and hugged the usually expressionless man. This time, however, he was smiling slightly as he place his hand on top of her head. Hinata only seemed to smile even more when he gently slid his hand down her hair before patting her on her back.

"_I _do not believe that Uzumaki Naruto is ready for to be named a Chuunin!" snapped the old woman who had been sitting next to the Hokage. This comment was met by frowns from everyone but the old man beside her.

Utatane Koharu, the older woman, may not have been very popular with those around her now but for the most part she was well known and respected by the villagers and shinobi of Konohagakure. Mitokado Homura, like Koharu, was a member of the Third Hokage's own Genin team after graduating from the academy and placed under the leadership of the First and Second Hokages. Despite their reputation, to those currently before them, it all amounted to nothing the moment they spoke out against Naruto.

"Why?" asked Jiraiya simply and when they stayed silent he continued. "Such a simple question and yet you couldn't give me a single reason as to why Naruto shouldn't be given the title despite the fact that he was one of the major reason the invasion went so smoothly. Do you not realize how much of the invading force was cut down by him alone? Or is your complaint about the Kyuubi and not Naruto?"

"Honestly I don't really care what your reasoning is." Tsunade said as she crossed her arms across her chest and sent the two elderly shinobi a look that could cut glass. "It was _my _choice when it came to who is being promoted and if these three weren't promoted then no one would have been. The reason they are being promoted now and not during the ceremony is because Hokage-jii has a mission for them and they will be gone from the village. Without unanimous consent of the council, which you don't have as Hiashi and Shibi have already voiced their approval, your job is to advise. Nothing more."

"Koharu, Homura, I believe your objections have been addressed." mused the Third Hokage, dismissal evident in his tone. Without a word the two council members stood and left the room with as much dignity as they could muster. It was easily apparent by the look in th Hokage's eyes that he hadn't enjoyed dismissing the two like he had.

"Hokage-sama, I assume that their promotion was what you wanted us here for?" asked Hiashi who, along with Akiko and Shibi, stood once the elderly man nodded his head. With that the parents stood and began making their way out of the room, only pausing to congratulate their respective child one last time.

"So what's this mission your sending us on?" Naruto asked even as Tsunade and Jiraiya moved away from the group slightly to hold their own conversation. Despite the serious air surrounding the two, Naruto wasn't fooled for a second. He would bet a months pay that their conversation wasn't nearly as serious as people would have been led to believe.

"I almost don't want to tell you." whined the elderly Hokage as he watched Anko shift around in her seat, as if moving to allow herself an easier way to attack him. At least that was what it seemed like in the Hokage's mind. "It is a goodwill mission to another shinobi village but..."

"But?" asked Anko sharply, in reality she was only held in place by Kurenai's hand resting on her forearm. If that hand happened to be removed, Anko very well may have attacked the elderly man so the Hokage's suspicions weren't completely without merit.

"Despite being a goodwill mission, the risk of encountering enemies is rather high." explained the Hokage before sighing heavily and continuing. "With Sunagakure and the newly formed Otogakure having moved against us, we can not be without allies in this inevitable war. Those who were once our allies are now our enemies and those who were our enemies are now potential allies..."

Before the Hokage could even finish speaking, Naruto was already on his feet and slamming his fists into the solid wooding desk of the Hokage. While everyone turned their attention to the young blond, the Hokage merely stared back at him with a look of understanding. It was obvious to everyone that Naruto was further along in the conversation then they were but to see him act in such away against the Hokage left them wondering what could have happened. Naruto joked with and teased the elderly man but they all knew it was only because he respected him greatly and cared for him like family.

"Don't you fucking dare." Naruto whispered coldly but still the Hokage's expression never changed. "Do you realize what you are asking of her? Do you realize the pain she will be in?"

"But she will not be alone." pressed the Hokage gently, almost pleadingly. "I realize that what I am asking is great but it must be done. Surely you of all people can understand why?"

"I... I do understand but... will she?"

"What are you talking about?" Kurenai asked calmly, which was more then anyone could say about Anko. Seeing Naruto act in such a way immediately put her on guard and she was now simply waiting for the worst.

"Our goodwill mission is to Kumogakure." Naruto stated while never looking away from the Hokage. He didn't need to to feel the weight of Hinata's reaction. The Hokage, however, could plainly see the fear and pain swell up inside the young woman and it pained him greatly. It was times like this that made him look forward to his retirement all the more.

"He is correct." the Hokage added finally and even Kurenai seemed to be clutching the arm of her chair far tighter then was necessary. "By sending our own Jinchuuriki, the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, as well as the heir of the Aburame Clan, I hope to show them how serious we are in asking for an alliance."

"And if they saw this as a provocation instead? Sending that which they have longed for right into their village only to ask them for an alliance, does that not seem as though we are mocking them?" inquired Shino, who was trying his best to offer Hinata as much emotional support as possible while she held onto his hand as if she would die without the contact.

"It could also be seen as a sign of trust." pointed out Jiraiya from his spot in the back of the room. Whatever Tsunade and he had been talking about, they decided that this conversation was much more important.

"Sending them what they have longed for under a white flag and they may very well be more open to discussing an alliance. We have to show them a certain amount of trust to even get our foot in the door. If we were to send a group of no name shinobi it would seem as if the treaty wasn't important to us." continued Tsunade while everyone was forced to admit that the two were right.

"If we go, what makes us qualified to oversee an alliance?" Naruto asked but it was answered by Jiraiya as he moved towards the Hokage and sat down on the corner of his desk.

"You aren't. I will also be going to over see the conditions of the alliance." he answered while sending Hinata a reassuring smile. To know that someone of Jiraiya standing and power would be accompanying them did cause Hinata to feel slightly more at ease.

"Great, now we also have to babysit." muttered Naruto just loud enough for everyone else to hear him. He was joking of course but he was also completely serious. Whatever the reason for saying what he had had been, at the very least it broke the tension in the room as everyone, save Jiraiya, was forced to laugh. "Why would you send Ero-hime? All he is going to ask for is unlimited access to their hot springs! He would probably sell us all out for a night with a beautiful woman!"

"Brat!" roared Jiraiya as he slammed his fist into the top of the Chuunin's head. "Do you really think that I would settle for only one beautiful woman?!"

Immediately the laughter in the room died and the four females were looking at the older man and cracking their knuckles. Even Hinata forgot her worry and began glaring at the man. Clearly what he had said had not gone over very well with anyone in the room, nor did it instill a great deal of confidence for the upcoming mission.

"Do not worry." the Hokage said quickly and before Jiraiya was beaten to death. "Kurenai will be given a scroll that will list what I think are acceptable terms. This list is not set in stone but I implore you to use common sense. This is an alliance I wish for but it is not so important that I would sacrifice any of my shinobi. Never again..."

As the old man trailed off, the weight of his words affected Hinata the most. Almost at once her pearl-like eyes locked with those of the leader of her village. In them she saw untold amounts of pain and regret for what had happened all those years ago. Without a word the young Hyuuga had already come to the conclusion that she would be accepting this mission. Her own pain was great but it was bearable if it was for the betterment of her village.

"Naruto-kun, Shino-kun, everyone, thank you for thinking of my feelings but I want to accept this mission. It may be difficult at first but I could never live with myself if I refused and our village suffered because of my selfishness. Perhaps now is the time to begin mending the breach between Kumogakure and the Hyuuga Clan, if nothing else it may allow me to move past what happened."

"We accept." Kurenai sighed gently. She honestly didn't know why she was surprised with the outcome. She knew Naruto and Hinata very well and should have known that in the end they would agree to nearly any mission if it was for the good of the village. Shino, it would seem, was the exact same as his teammates in that respect.

"This will be an open mission, meaning it is not over until an alliance has been created or you feel as though it will be impossible. You will leave immediately." ordered the Hokage and as everyone stood and began moving towards the door, the Hokage continued. "Naruto, Hinata, Shino, I have decided that you should be given credit for an S-Ranked mission for your actions during the Second Exam. Because of you three, we were alerted of Orochimaru's presence within the exam itself as well as the fact that you were the ones that forced him to flee."

"Thanks a lot, Hokage-jii!" Naruto shouted happily before he and the rest of his team followed their sensei and the others out of the room.

* * *

A/N:

This is the only new chapter to be posted since this story was first posted. I am currently working on chapter nine but to be perfectly honest with you, there is no telling when it will be posted. It all depends on whether or not ideas come to me.

In any case, I hope you've enjoyed my story so far.

EDIT: July, 10th, 2009, 10:53 am

I received a review pointing out that I have been using the Japanese term for 'little brother' wrong. I'm not sure what site ErikArden uses for their translations but every site I have gone to, and I have been to a great deal of them, has listed it as either Otouto(give or take a hyphen) or Touto. To my knowledge, and of course I could be wrong, the 'o', when referring to family members, can either be given or not. Ojii-san and Jii-san. Okaa-san and Kaa-san. Otou-san and Tou-san. Onee-san and Nee-san. Otouto and Touto. Every site I've been to has listed them bothas correct. There is, from what I have found, a rule that is supposed to be used to know whether or not the 'o' should be used but I've never found out exactly what it is, so I simply don't use the 'o'. I believe that it has to do with whether or not they are members of your own family or another's.

As I said in my reply, I do not mean to be rude but, until someone explains to me the rule about when to use the 'o', this is something that I will not be changing and will continue to use in later chapters.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ:

As of October 3rd, hopefully, I'll be moving from Cali back to what I consider to be my hometown in IL. While I'm looking forward to the move as I'll be back around my family and friends, until I find a job and am able to save up enough, I won't have an Internet connection. Now I'll still be writing when I can, but whether or not I'll be able to update my stories depends on whether or not I can find a wifi spot or another connection to use. I beg those of you who are waiting for my next update to be patient with me.


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